Folktale
by HoneyBee31
Summary: Kagome's life changes in ways that she had only heard about in folktales after she saves her brother from certain death.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: A few notes about this story if you were wondering. I am Canadian, so this story is very Canadian in its origins and takes place in Canada. Naturally there will be snow, and of course skating.

The song that was the inspiration for much of this fic is The Night by Morphine. There may be quotes before a few of the chapters if they seem relevant.

Finally, this story is actually already completed. I know there will be some concern why I haven't finished Blue Guitar, but this story took over my brain for the last few years. I'm hopeful with it done, I can finally get back to finishing that story. I will post these chapters one at a time, but don't worry about this story not finishing because it is already written.

Enjoy!

~HoneyBee

* * *

 _You're the night, Lilah  
A little girl, lost in the woods  
You're a folktale  
The unexplainable_

* * *

The world was cold and silent. White flakes swirled and danced in the frigid air, delighting Kagome from where she stood at the frozen river's edge and took in the unblemished winter scene that surrounded her. The steady snowfall had long since filled her small footprints in the snow, hiding her trail. Gone as well was the serpentine pattern left by the swish of her skirts as she had journeyed from her family's house down to the river to begin collecting water for the day.

Eying the metal pails that surrounded her, Kagome sighed with resignation at having to interrupt the peace to begin her chores. Collecting water was far from her favourite chore, as the weighty and cold water had her arms aching and numb by the time she managed to haul it home. And the amount of water needed to make it through a day had only gotten worse since her home had become the makeshift hospice during this latest outbreak of Consumption.

Her mother was the only person in the town with any medical training, as she had been trained as a nurse by Kagome's deceased father, who had been the town's doctor. Now her poor mother was up all hours of the night tending to the sick and scouring the few medical books they had for any options for a cure. With her mother fully occupied, it left Kagome to run the household and manage her younger brother.

Her busy home life was an ever present buzz in the back of her mind, and so Kagome took the time to savour the silence of the moment she was in, enjoying the light wisp of the wind against her face and the faint tickle of the hairs that had escaped her bun beneath her bonnet. Assessing the frozen river with a critical eye, Kagome judged that the ice was not yet thick enough that she would have to call her brother for help to break through it. It was indeed embarrassing that she, a healthy 17-year old girl, should have to call on her 12 year old brother for aid. Welding the bucket with practiced precision, she broke through the ice to reveal the steady stream moving beneath.

Dunking the bucket in, and being thankful she had thought to wear her rabbit skinned gloves when she felt the chill of the river, she nearly dropped it in surprise when a voice called out her name.

"Good morning, Kagome!" hollered a slim figure that Kagome recognized as her dearest friend Sango. She held her skirts at a modest height as she waded easily through the snow. "I thought I would find you out here. Can I give you a hand?"

Sango's family was the wealthiest in the small village due to her father's occupation as the town's blacksmith. Since her mother's death from Consumption, Sango's father had employed a small contingent of maids to take care of the household, which left Sango free from daily chores. Fortunately for Kagome, her friend seemed to enjoy hard work and would eagerly assist her with her ever growing pile of chores while providing friendly conversation.

"If you wouldn't mind, I would appreciate it." Kagome swiped the small amount of sweat that dotted her brow and watched with envy as her friend gracefully hefted two of the buckets. If only she could have Sango's strength. Kagome picked up the two remaining pails, staggered for a second under their combined weight, before falling into her friend's footsteps.

"You're over here...awfully early..." Kagome puffed as they made their way up the hill to her home.

Sango made an irritated sound. "My father was at it early this morning." She made a comical expression as she mimicked her father's deep voice, "What man would want to marry a woman with Smith's hands? Sango, I have been lenient enough. Put down that hammer because we're going to swaddle you in the nicest dress we can find and sell you to the highest bidder."

"Sango, I hardly think he said that." Kagome smiled both at her friend and when she saw the house was drawing near.

Sango laughed lightly before her countenance became depressed. "I know he wants what is best for me, but...can't he understand? I want to be a smith and carry on the family trade. If only he would listen and teach me instead of trying to force Kohaku to learn..."

"He's still on about that then?" Kagome inquired, looking concerned.

"He'll never let up. Kohaku is...a delicate boy. Very intelligent though. He would do well at school. I was trying to convince father to send him away, but he doesn't think there's a better smith than he for Kohaku to learn from, and what else would he need to know from school?" Sango's sarcastic expression told of what she thought of that. "But what can I do, he's my father. "

Sango's eyes shifted to the side as she softly admitted, "I'm a burden to him enough as it is. I can't help but be concerned sometimes because...well... I am not getting any younger..."

Kagome set her buckets down on the stone pathway and placed a comforting hand on her friend's arm. "Sango, you're only 19. There is still much time left before you become an old maid. Besides, you already have a suitor who has more than expressed his affection for you."

Sango pulled a face at the mention of her would-be suitor. "Kuranoske, you mean that snotty worm?" Sango turned back towards the house and ascended the wooden steps to the door. She held open the door and allowed Kagome to pass before responding, "you know how I feel about him. Imagine ending up like his poor mother, practically locked inside her house just to keep her skin pale as snow. That is not the life for me."

"I'm just saying you're fortunate to have a wealthy gentleman interested in you. Many of the other girls in town are concerned there won't be enough men to go around and some will have to travel elsewhere to marry." Kagome reminded as she shook the snow off the hems of her skirts.

"Well what of you, Kagome?" Sango's smile was coy as she removed her bonnet and hung it on the rack at the door. "I heard the youngest Hojo son has been spending time helping around your home."

"He is interested in taking over as the town's doctor, but his family cannot afford to send him away to school so he comes here to read father's books." Kagome reasoned, fooling neither Sango nor herself. She sighed at her friend's perceptive look, "but he has been showing some interest in me. I know I should be more pleased, but...I just...am not."

The two shared an understanding look for a moment before it was interrupted by Souta's loud descent down the wooden stairs. He attempted to race between them before Kagome grabbed a hold of his shoulders to halt his escape.

"And just where are you off to, young man?" She questioned warmly, affection blooming as she took in the excited glimmer to his eye.

"It's been cold for so long the river has to be solid enough to skate on by now!" He exclaimed. "I'm going to grab Kohaku and we are going to be the first ones out this year!"

"Have you done your morning chores?" Kagome reminded, trying to look stern and not yield when her brother's whole body slumped in disappointment. "I'll take that as a no."

Just as her brother reached up to remove the hat he had plunked on in expectation for heading outdoors, Kagome's mother appeared from the hallway that led to the Sick Room. "Oh, go on now you two." She smiled kindly, picking up one of the buckets that Sango had carried in. "Chores will still be here when you get back. After all, you don't want anyone else getting to be first on that ice."

Souta whooped and nabbed his skates off their peg by the door before racing outside, forgetting to shut the door behind him. Sango and Kagome shared a laugh at his abrupt departure. "He's probably gone to get Kohaku." Sango turned an inquisitive gaze to Kagome, "What do you think, should we join them?"

Kagome sent an uneasy look over at her mother, who nodded her encouragement, but Kagome was reluctant. "I don't know. Mama, the water still needs to be taken up and the dishes..."

"Kagome," her mother interrupted gently, "you are only young once. While I appreciate all the help you've been giving me, you need to take some time for yourself." She laid a maternal hand on Kagome's shoulder before affecting a stern expression and turning to Sango.

"Now Sango, I charge you to keep Kagome out of doors for the remainder of the day and make sure that she remembers that she is 17 and not 71." The teasing glint to her mother's eye drew a warm smile to Kagome's face.

"As you command, Mrs. Higurashi," Sango responded with a smile.

Picking up her skates from the peg, she gave her mother a final glance over her shoulder. When her mother responded with nothing more than a smile, Kagome smiled in return and followed her friend out the door. The two friends fell in step as they strolled to Sango's house to pick up her skates.

"Did you hear that we are to get a new preacher? The old Reverend has decided to retire and I heard his replacement has volunteered to come over from England." Sango relayed as the two cut across the busier portion of town to her home behind her father's shop. "My father has offered to keep him at our house until the rectory can be modified for a new owner."

"That is exciting news. Do you suppose he will be as old as Reverend Whittaker?" Kagome queried as they ascended the steps to Sango's home. Stepping through the door the warmth was immediate, as was Kagome's embarrassed acknowledgement that Sango's house was much better smelling than her own, which perpetually smelled of illness and lye.

"I couldn't say. He is to arrive shortly though, father was keeping it a bit of a secret until all the arrangements were final to avoid any upset. After the original replacement backed out only a few days before the voyage, I think he wanted to wait until the Reverend was on this side of the ocean before making any announcements." Sango commented wryly as she scooped up her skates and muff left neatly by the door.

"I wonder who would choose to come over here when they have a more comfortable life in one of the cities in Europe. To hear Madam Langlais tell of it, it sounds like a wonderful place." Kagome commented as they returned to the cobblestone roadway. The entire small village was built around this single roadway that led to the river's edge. As they neared where the river began, the girls noticed that a crowd had begun to form around the edge of the river.

"What's going on?" Kagome asked her friend, but when her voice was heard, an older woman practically shrieked her name.

"Kagome! It's Souta! He's fallen through the ice!" She screamed, her face flushed with excitement at the emergency.

"Souta?!" Kagome practically screamed as she broke into a run, shoving through the crowd to get to the edge. "Souta!" She yelled from the river's edge, though she knew he would be unable to hear.

Hojo, who had been hustling along the river's edge to reach her as soon as he saw her, drew up close to her side. "Miss Higurashi," he was breathing strenuously from the rush, "The men have already organized a rescue strategy. I guess the ice was a bit thin in one spot and Souta went right through." He pointed to a spot in the center of the ice where the river was visible.

Kagome let out a low moan of terror and tried to run out onto the ice to grab him herself. Hojo grabbed her arms and held her on the bank as she stared out in despair. Distantly she noted Sango collecting a shaking Kohaku to her side, running her hands through his hair to reassure herself that he was alright. How Kagome wished she could do the same for her own little brother!

This was not the first time a child had fallen into the river, but there was a mix of outcomes when they were fished out of the river. Some had done fine and recovered fully. Others had fallen ill and not fared as well. Most were not found at all.

The men had organized themselves so each would lay flat on the ice and shimmy out to form a chain, with the strongest of the men remaining on the bank to pull the others backwards if they found the boy under the ice. With the sturdiness of the ice now compromised with the hole, laying down was the best way to lessen the weight on the ice and prevent it from breaking further and taking would-be rescuers with it.

Kagome stood unmoving at the riverbank, even when she felt her mother join her at her side and wrap a firm arm around her. Her eyes refused to move from the hole, as if she could will her little brother to pop up from the ice and laugh at her for worrying.

Her heart felt like it only began to beat again when there was a call of victory from the man reaching into the water. A small body surfaced from the hole and immediately the men began pulling the others back to eventually get the final link of the chain back on shore. The crowd parted to allow Kagome's family to rush over to the rescuer.

Souta lay still in his rescuers arms...too still. Kagome felt her breath lock in her throat and felt her mother gasp. "No..." she whispered, but it was written all over the rescuer's face. Her little brother was... "No. No. No. NO. NO!" Kagome didn't care that she was screaming as she grabbed his body from the man. She set him down on the frozen ground, placed two hands on his rib cage and began to push.

"Kagome..." Sango approached her from behind, "I'm sorry but there's nothing you can do..."

"No. I'll force the river water from his lungs and manually pump his heart until it beats on its own. They showed a diagram like this in father's textbook. It has worked before." Kagome pleaded. Her friend stepped back to allow her to try, and Kagome resumed her pumping with more force. There was no pulse beneath her fingers, and no warmth left in his small body, but she had to try.

"You. Have. To. Live." She punctuated each statement with a thrust. His body remained unresponsive, shifting only due to the force of her thrusts. "Please Souta. Liiiiiive." As she screamed her plea, she felt a warm heat fill her body and rush down her arms. For an instant all she saw was a thin film of pink and her skin felt as if it were aflame before her vision became black and she knew no more.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: I decided to post the first 3 chapters at once to give you an idea of the plot.

Enjoy!  
~HoneyBee

* * *

 _You're a bed time story  
The one who keeps the curtains closed  
And I hope you're waiting for me  
Cause I can't make it on my own._

* * *

Kagome awoke to the familiar surroundings of her small room, forgetting for a moment that this night was any different than any other. Her foot had traversed out from under the thick quilts, and it was only when she realised how difficult it was for her to summon the energy to move it that she remembered the events of the previous day.

"Souta..." She gasped, trying to collect enough energy to make her leaden body sit up and take her downstairs to find her mother. Her legs were unresponsive and her arms managed only a minimal effort, which was only successful in knocking a small glass of water at her bedside onto the floor with a loud clunk.

Sighing with defeat, Kagome felt tears gather at the corners of her eyes. Her poor Souta. What would she do without her younger brother? Certainly she had complained that he was an irritant at times, but she had loved him so dearly. How could she go on, knowing she could have prevented it all if she had just insisted they stay home and do chores. If only she had checked the ice before allowing him to go. She had known the ice wasn't as thick as it usually was. Had she not just been thankful for its thinness just a few moments prior to Souta falling through? Why hadn't she done something? Why hadn't she saved him?

"Kagome," she was drawn from her misery by the sound of her mother's voice at the door. In the faint light of the candle, her mama seemed to have aged overnight. "Oh darling," her mother rushed over to her, kneeling at the bedside to push her hair back from her face, "I'm so happy to see that you are alright."

Kagome summoned a wobbled smile to reassure her mother. "Mama, what happened? How did I get back here?"

Before her mother could answer there was a creak at the door. Kagome could not see who was edging the door forward, the solitary candle illuminating the dark room left the entry way in darkness. When she saw who had entered, Kagome could scarcely believe her eyes.

"...Souta?" She asked breathlessly. Was this a ghost that had come back to haunt her?

"Kagome!" He cried with relief, launching himself at her bed. At first she did nothing but stare at him, unable to believe that he had survived. After that moment's hesitation, her arms no longer felt leaden as she reached out and drew him to her, likely with enough strength to squeeze the air from his lungs.

"Souta!" She laughed incredulously, resting her cheek against the top of his head. "I'm so relieved to see that you are alright."

Kagome's mother sat on the edge of the bed and wrapped her arms around both her children securely. "I am happy that you are both okay." Though her mother's voice was calm, there was a suspicious warble to her voice and the small shaking of her frame.

"What happened, Mama?" Kagome asked once they broke the group embrace. She kept one arm tight around Souta to reassure herself that he was really there. For his part, Souta seemed just as content to rest in his sister's embrace that he usually fled from.

"Well, you remember what happened before you fainted..." Her mother began, unwilling to put into words what had almost transpired, "well, you pushed and pushed on Souta's chest. Then...all of a sudden..." her mother trailed off to think for a moment, "...I'm not exactly sure what happened. But you fainted and...and then just as you fell, Souta started coughing and vomited up the river water he had swallowed. It was a miracle."

Mama wrapped her arms around the two children again and they sat in comfortable silence, just happy to have each others' presence. The embrace was only broken when Souta's bobbing head finally fell to rest against his mother. Her mother shook him awake enough to stand and sent him out the door off to bed. When only mother and daughter remained, Kagome's mother took her daughter's hand between both of her own.

"Kagome," her voice was a soft whisper and Kagome leaned closer to be able to hear, "I...what you did for your brother was amazing...I don't even know how to thank you...you saved his life."

"Mama..." Kagome interrupted, though to say what she wasn't sure. How does she express that no thanks was needed when she was able to see her brother alive?

"When you fainted," her mother continued as if she had not heard, "I thought I might lose you both. Your brother lost to the river, and you lost after his death. I know how much you care for us."

Her mother smoothed the hair back from Kagome's face, and then brushed the few tears that fell off her cheeks, "I am so thankful you are well. I love you."

Kagome smiled, "I love you too, Mama."

Her mother placed a soft kiss to her forehead. "Now, it's really quite late. You need your rest." As Kagome lay back, her mother stood and neatly tucked the sheets up about her shoulders, "sleep well, my darling daughter."

Kagome meant to reply, but as soon as her head rested on her pillow her fatigue overwhelmed her and she found herself deep asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I know you are all dying to know where Inuyasha is. This story is a bit slower moving than some of my others, but you shall see shortly.

Enjoy,  
~HoneyBee

* * *

 _It's too dark to see the landmarks  
And I don't want your good luck charms  
I hope you're waiting for me  
Across your carpet of stars_

* * *

The following afternoon found Kagome well rested and rejuvenated. Upon realising the lateness of the hour, she had dressed quickly and descended the stairs in search of her mother. She found her mother in the Sick Room, as always, placing damp cloths on the forehead of her patients. When she had inquired about the status of the day's chores, her mother had told they had all been completed. When Kagome attempted to assist in the Sick Room, Mama forcefully insisted on a day of respite for her daughter, practically shoving Kagome out the door to enjoy the temperate winter day.

Now outdoors, Kagome found herself thankful for the suggestion. The dull winter sun still bore enough strength to warm her face, and the air was cool but not frigid and smelled crisp and clean. Securing her cloak about her shoulders, Kagome hefted her skirts and set off towards the forest that fringed their property. The forest was always one of her favourite places as a child, and she and Sango had whiled away many a summer playing amongst the boughs. She now sought its comforting familiarity to calm her raging thoughts.

As soon as she reached the tree line she allowed her mind to wander, trusting her feet to guide her to her destination. In truth she was could not stop thinking about the incident from the other day. Not just her grief with Souta's presumed death, but more so the strange light and heat that had overcome her before she had passed out.

It could have possibly just been shock or panic overwhelming her, causing the sensation before she passed out. Was Souta's salvation really a miracle? Kagome's family was certainly not the most devout in the village, and she couldn't help but harbour some scepticism about the situation. In their Sick Room she had watched Consumption devour the smallest and most innocent of babies. If miracles really did occur, why had she never seen one before?

Her footsteps halted when she reached her destination. About ¾ into the forest there stood a great oak tree, with far reaching branches and a height of almost unimaginable size. It was Kagome's favourite spot in the woods to sit and think, and it was well known that if the girl was missing that this was the best place to find her.

What she had never spoken of, besides the pleasing aesthetics of the spot, was the comforting feeling that it brought her. Often if she sat beneath the tree long enough, she would feel as if there was someone else with her. A Presence that was both soothing to her soul and a comfort to her heart. When she was younger she had thought it was the ghost of her father visiting her, or perhaps residing in the tree, but she believed differently now. She thought perhaps it was the tree itself, or the whole woods, just acting as a balm with its steady presence and calm atmosphere.

Kagome neatly arranged her cloak and her skirts before seating herself in the light snow beneath the tree. Resting her head back against the bark, she released a deep sigh, already feeling better just by being in the woods.

Somehow the forest seemed more...alive today than usual. It seemed almost as though she could feel the somnolence of trees around her as they slept through the winter chill. She felt the urgency in the scamper as a squirrel as it hunted for its cache of hidden nuts. A chickadee sang a light-hearted trill, seeming to beckon Kagome closer.

She almost gave into its alluring call when the Presence appeared, stronger today than it had been before. Perhaps it felt her need for comfort and was reaching out stronger than before. She felt it coming from above her and radiating downwards as warmth that wrapped around her huddled form. It welcomed her, surrounding her heart and connecting with her soul.

Though she was usually a passive, though thankful, recipient of this feeling, today she felt as though she had something to give back. There was an internal warmth she felt below the surface of her skin, as if there was a hum of energy that wanted to be freed.

Closing her eyes tightly, Kagome took a deep breath. She held it as she considered her options. After the moment's debate she exhaled while releasing the energy, feeling it spread from her to fill the area. If she thought she had been sensitive to the forest before this, she was mistaken as it was nothing compared to the sensations bombarding her now. She could feel the steadiness of the earth beneath the snow, the stubbornness of the rocks that lay around her, the light-hearted freedom of the bird that soared overhead. And yet, none of this interested her as she focused on what had happened to the comforting sensation above her.

At first it had withdrawn, disappearing to almost a pinpoint just a few feet above where she sat. Kagome was curious to look up and see, but past experience had taught her that the moment she opened her eyes to look at it, the source was always gone. Rather than search with her eyes, she sought out the source with her new senses, gentle probing at the edges to see what would happen.

The Presence resisted her first few investigations before it to reached out to her. When the energies met, Kagome nearly gasped at the foreign, pleasurable sensation that bloomed in her chest. Clutching her hands together over her heart, Kagome tried to push the energy further, encouraged with the Presence welcomed her. It took a bit of pushing and withdrawing before they found a comfortable equilibrium between the two energies.

Kagome couldn't help herself as she released a sigh of happiness. Where else would she ever find this feeling of upmost peace?

"What is happening to me?" She couldn't help but muse aloud, "What is this strange...energy?"

The forest offered no response, but the Presence became more comforting and so she felt at ease. Drawing idle patterns with her fingers in the snow, Kagome was sure to keep her gaze to the ground so that the Presence would stay.

Searching her mind for a distraction, Kagome commented aloud on the first thought that popped into her head, "Sango's father has become more insistent about her getting married." She had developed a bit of a habit of talking to the Presence, though it never responded. With the new connection she had forged, she wondered if perhaps she would be able to sense a response. Deciding to test it out, she volleyed out a question. "Do you think she should get married to Kuronoske?"

When there was no perceivable response in Kagome's senses, she sighed figuring she had overestimated what she was communicating with. Perhaps it was just the combination of all she had sensed before overwhelming her? She pulled back her energy feeling a bit disappointed. She had been hoping that the Presence she had spoken to for so many years would finally be able to respond.

But she really had to ask herself, did it matter if it could respond? Could she not feel better just by voicing her problems aloud, even if there was no one there to hear? Or perhaps, it was all the better that there was no one there to hear?

"Though she despises him, she can't help but be concerned about her future." Kagome reasoned, thinking about her dear friend. "Sango wants nothing more than to take over her father's trade. She loves working her hands and she's worried about what kind of life she'll have if she marries. I doubt her father would pick a bad husband, though he does seem more interested in making sure he has a stable income than a stable temperament."

Stretching out her legs, Kagome leaned further on the tree trunk. "I must admit, I have similar concerns. Will I ever get married?" Kagome brushed the small amount of snow off her shoulders that had fallen from the boughs overhead. "Perhaps I should consider Hojo more seriously. He does have very nice manners and he would probably treat me well."

Kagome could barely finish her sentence before she was overwhelmed by a flush of power from the Presence, the strength of it forcing a gasp from her lungs. She drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around as she dealt with the onslaught, the Presence was dominating as well as coaxing, forming tendrils that captured more of her energy towards it until they were ensnared together.

"Kagome! Look out!" Kagome was suddenly freed from the oppressive grip as she heard Sango give a warning yell. Opening her eyes, Kagome's gaze automatically shot upwards where it met a startled pair of golden eyes for an instant before it was gone.

Kagome stood quickly, casting her eyes about for any danger as her friend charged through the trees to reach her side. Both girls looked up into the empty boughs of the oak tree, searching for something that neither could explain.

Determining that the immediate danger was gone, Sango turned to Kagome and asked, "Are you alright? What was going on?"

Feeling unwilling to explain what had been going on, Kagome inquired instead "why did you yell?"

"There was something sitting in the tree above you." Sango commented, shielding her eyes against the dull sun to peer into the branches again, "I didn't get a clear look, but it shone silver...almost the way that Old Qualtrough describes the Will-o'-the-Wisp. And it moved so fast..."

"The Will-o'-the-Wisp?" Kagome repeated breathlessly, searching about the clearing again for the sight of her mysterious Presence. Had she really been communicating with a ghost all this time?

Unexpectedly, Sango began to laugh. "Listen to us!" She said with exasperation, "talking about Old Qualtrough's tales like they could be true. We've both known better for ages."

Inspired by Sango's amusement, Kagome couldn't help but give a laugh in response. "You're right Sango." She conceded, "We both know that those are just old folktales."

"It's all this talk of miracles since Souta's survived the river," Sango postulated as the girls began the trek back to Kagome's home, "it's bringing all the old superstitions up to the front of everyone's mind. A person's imagination can certainly do some strange things."

Kagome nodded her agreement. It is likely that her exhaustion caused her to feel and experience sensations that may not have been real. She couldn't help but give one last look over her shoulder at her tree. There was no sign of the anything or anyone else in the area, nor that there had ever been.

Sango noticed her friend's distraction and called over, "Kagome, are you coming?"

"Yes." Chalking the experience up to her fatigue and oversensitive imagination, Kagome shrugged and followed Sango back to the house.


	4. Chapter 4

The weeks following Souta's accident passed quickly as Kagome's life fell back into her usual routine of chores and more chores. Though the townsfolk had been wary of treading on the ice for a few days, eventually the desire to skate outweighed the fear of the ice and soon there was life again on the river. Even Souta had worked up the courage to join his friends. At first he had stayed close to the shore, just in case misfortune were to befall him a second time, but now he meandered freely about the ice, racing with his friends and getting into all the trouble that a 12 year old should.

With the decreasing temperatures as the winter season progressed, Kagome's mother saw an increasing number of patients in the small hospice. It was getting to be too much work for one woman, and her mother was showing signs of strain. Kagome knew her mother was reluctant to expose her children to the contagion, but it could no longer be helped. In addition to her regular household chores, Kagome was now also tending to a few of the ill herself, monitoring their progress and administering what little treatment they had to offer.

Currently she was seated on the floor next to the bed of Abigail Sawyer, a sick young girl, rubbing her back as the small child coughed up blood-streaked sputum into a collecting dish. Abigail was pale and small, and for as much broth as she drank, she would not gain weight. Kagome feared the worst and she knew her mother agreed with the prognosis, as she had overheard her mother discreetly discussing funeral arrangements with Reverend Whittaker before he retired.

The new Preacher was due to arrive at any day now and a small party had been arranged for the day he arrived. Since he would be forced to travel inland by a horse-pulled sled, his arrival time would be variable. One of the nearby barns had already been decorated with boughs of spruce and pinecones to allow for the party to begin whenever he arrived.

Once the coughing young Abigail had quieted, Kagome stood as silently as possible and began retrieving the empty pitchers from the bedsides of the ill. She was half way through refilling them when there was a loud rap on the Sick Room door. Confused by the unexpected interruption, Kagome stood quickly and brush the small amount of wood-dust from the floor off her skirts before she approached the door.

"Kagome! The Reverend has just arrived! His party was spotted by the boys on the ice!" Sango exclaimed from her distance from the Sick Room door. Sango's father had given her very strict instructions not to step within the Sick Room, particularly after the death of her mother from the same disease.

"Just now?" Kagome asked with excitement, stopping by the basin of water they kept by the door to wash her hands with the tough lye soap. Sango's father had warned his daughter about smith's hands, but there was no time for Mrs. Higurashi to worry about how her daughter's would suffer from the harsh soap. Kagome rinsed her hands clean and dried them before stepping out to meet her friend.

"Yes. The whole town has already begun to gather. I spoke to your mama outside and she said you should come! Come on!" Sango grabbed her hands friend and began to pull her towards the door, barely allowing Kagome a moment to grab hold of her cloak before they were down the steps and out the door.

The young girls weaved between the slowly gathering crowd, making quick time to the river's edge. By the time they made it there the horse had already been released from the sled and led to a fresh bucket of water. The sleigh was small, only large enough for the Reverend and the coureur des bois.

For a moment the townspeople were confused. Both occupants of the sled seem to be an athletic –looking young man. If both these men were coureur des bois, where was the Reverend? The confusion was quickly dispelled when one of the men stepped forward and greeted Reverend Whittaker in immaculate English.

"Good afternoon, Reverend Whittaker I presume?" He inquired, his hand extended to greet the older man.

As the older and respected members of the town went up to greet him, Kagome and Sango remained part of the crowd that continued to assess him. The final verdict was that he was certainly handsome, with eyes the colour of twilight and long black hair collected in a tail at his nape. He was on the tall side, though certainly not a giant. In fact, he may only be a thumb's width higher than Sango.

When Kagome turned to measure her friend to consider if her observation was accurate, she noticed Sango had a most peculiar look on her face. "Sango, are you alright?" Sango remained oblivious to her call as she continued to stare intently at the Reverend, requiring Kagome to ask for her friend's attention at a louder and louder volume until she finally shouted, "SANGO!"

Unfortunately that drew not only her friend's attention, but also the attention of the rest of the crowd. Even the Reverend looked over to see what the disturbance was. Sango's father decided to take this as an opportunity to introduce his only daughter.

"Reverend Hiroshi, this is my daughter Sango." Her father gestured with his large hands and the crowd moved out of the way as if swept aside. With the path clear to the now-blushing Sango, the Reverend and Sango's father advanced towards them.

When Kagome attempted to take a step aside, Sango caught her hand quicker than a snare. "Oh, no you don't." She hissed, tightening her grip, "you're staying right here by my side."

Kagome attempted to respond but the Reverend was already in front of them. "Good afternoon ladies." He greeted politely, offering his hand.

Kagome offered a friendly smile but knew she should wait until after Sango introduced herself, as it was her that they came over here to greet. After an awkward pause where her friend did not do anything but blush and stare at the hand offered, Kagome decided now was a good time to repay Sango for always helping her with her chores.

Deftly inserting her hand into the waiting hold, Kagome smiled kindly and introduced herself. "I am Kagome Higurashi. Welcome to our town, Reverend Hiroshi."

While Sango's father looked surprised at the sudden introduction, the Reverend did not appear perturbed in the least. "It is lovely to make your acquaintance, Miss Higurashi." He released her hand and turned toward Sango. "Then you must be Miss Adachi?" He asked kindly, again offering his hand to the frozen Sango. The young woman still did not move.

Kagome laughed nervously and wrapped and arm around her friends stiff shoulders. "Sango is also delighted to meet you..." Kagome floundered for an excuse to save her friend further embarrassment.

Fortunately her father was able to interject and excuse. "Sango is very weary from a long day of... embroidery and the excitement of a new face in our town has proven too much for her nerves." Sango's father turned his stern eye to Kagome and it made her want to take a step back. "Kagome, would you be so kind to escort my daughter home? Hopefully she can recover in time to attend the public ball this evening to be held in the Reverend's honour."

Not bothering to reply in the affirmative, Kagome steered Sango towards her house and propelled her through the curious crowd to the safety of her parlour. After Sango was seated, Marie, an astute maid, hurried over with a cup of tea and set in front of the still-silent woman. Marie and Kagome exchanged a concerned glance before Kagome seated herself beside Sango on the settee.

"Oh Dear Lord," Sango moaned , coming out of her stupor to rest her head in her hands, "I have never been so embarrassed."

"There now, Sango. It could have happened to anyone." Kagome consoled, smiling in a manner that she hoped was reassuring. "What...did happen?"

"I don't know. It was just seeing him up close and..." Sango trailed off, a warm blush across her cheekbones and her gaze dropped demurely down to the side.

It took Kagome only a moment to figure out what was going on. "Sango...do you find the new Reverend attractive?" She was only half-teasing, as Kagome was pretty sure she already knew the answer.

"No!" Sango's response was immediate and reflexive. "He was just much...younger than I had anticipated." Sango trailed off, more to herself than to Kagome, "and much more handsome."

Kagome could have given a shout of glee. Finally her friend was showing interest in a man! Not that it mattered much to Kagome, but it was also a relief that it was in a respectable man like a Reverend. Unfortunately it was also likely that many of the single girls in town will be having the same thoughts about the attractive Reverend. Those same girls are also likely primped up and already at the party, stealing his attention away from Sango.

"Well, perhaps we should get ready for the Party to celebrate his arrival?" Kagome suggested, hoping that she didn't sound too excited. Spending a whole evening arranging for Sango to spend time with the Reverend sounded like too much fun, and Kagome couldn't wait to get started.

Sango stood after considering the suggestion. "I suppose it is only polite to look my best when there is a new person in town." Sango commented, moving towards the stairs.

Kagome followed after her, responding in the affirmative. "Yes, of course. Only polite." Kagome smiled to herself behind Sango's back in amusement.

Once in her room, Kagome helped Sango select her dress quickly and then assisted her in getting ready. It was only when they realised the lateness of the hour that they noticed that Kagome had not had time to change at all.

"Oh dear!" Sango exclaimed, feeling terrible for occupying so much of her friend's time. "You can borrow one of my dresses if you would like. We still have a bit of time to do your hair."

Kagome looked at her dress critically and then laughed. "Sango, I have already introduced myself to the Reverend and he already knows what I look like. I see no point in pretending to dress like anything else now." Kagome released her hair from its bun and gave it a light brush, allowing it to settle around her shoulders in a light natural wave. Deciding that would have to do, she smiled at her friend and invited, "let's go!"


	5. Chapter 5

_Ask any the girls from the parish around  
What pleases her most from her head to her toes  
She'll say I'm not sure it's any business of yours  
But I do like to waltz with a log driver  
-The log driver's waltz by Kate & Anne McGarrigle  
_

* * *

By the time the girls had decided to journey to the party, the sun had already set. Without a moon to guide them, the girls relied on a small tin lantern and the familiarity of living in the town for years to make it to the barn. Once it was within sight lines, it was an easy place to spot as the light cast from the open barn doors lit a generous path and the music was audible even from this distance.

Upon entering, Kagome and Sango automatically held hands to prevent being separated in the crowd. A large group of the older townspeople were crowded around the periphery, watching the younger people dance in the centre of the room. A local band had set up in the hay loft, where Old Qualtrough was already playing a lively jig on his penny whistle.

Both girls had little interest in the familiar scene, but instead were scouring for the Man of the Hour. Kagome spotted him first, already dancing with the youngest Pemberly sister. She nudged Sango so her friend would be looking in the right direction before pulling her into the crowd, making a beeline for her destination.

As fate would have it, they encountered Sango's father along the way. "Sango," he said, placing a heavy hand on her shoulder, "later we will talk about what happened this afternoon. Right now, I want you to dance with the Reverend to apologize for your rudeness."

"I assure you that no apology is necessary." The Reverend's smooth voice came from behind the bulk of Sango's father. He turned to reveal the handsome newcomer, who had a friendly smile on his face as he gazed at Sango. "I would, however, like to ask Miss. Adachi for a dance."

He extended his hand towards her, and when Sango looked like she was going to shy away again, Kagome gave her a not-so gentle nudge forward so she would need his hand to catch herself. Once he had her hand in his grip, the Reverend moved towards the area cleared for dancing, while Sango glared over her shoulder at her conniving friend.

Kagome just laughed at her friend, convinced she had made a good decision. She was interrupted when a low male voice declared, "I saw that."

Expecting to have to explain herself to Sango's father, Kagome wore a sheepish expression as she turned to the source of the voice. She nearly started with surprise when she realised that Sango's father was conversing with someone else and that it was the stranger to her left that had offered the observation.

"Saw what?" She asked innocently, curious as to who this stranger might be. She considered asking, but then was held back by the lingering concern that she should already know who he is, and that to ask would be considered very rude.

"You push your friend like that. That wasn't very nice." His words were both serious and teasing at the same time, his mouth curved up a bit on the corner in a small smirk.

"It wasn't a push...it was a...nudge in the right direction." She defended, uncertain why she was playing along. The man looked young and was very tall, forcing her to crane her neck up in an attempt to observe his face. He was slim but not a willow reed, as evidenced by his muscular forearms that were visible where he had rolled up his cotton shirt to his elbows. The most unusual thing about his was his ink black hair that was as long as a woman's, however rather than make him look feminine, it seemed to highlight the masculine contours of his handsome face.

Embarrassed to realise that she had been staring, Kagome was forced to ask him to repeat himself when she clearly had not been paying attention. His smirk grew when he repeated, "are you sure it's in the right direction?"

Kagome gave a thoughtful frown, considering his question. She took a moment to look over at her friend. When she spied Sango amongst the dancing couples in formation, Kagome took note of her bright eyes and blushing cheeks. She felt even more certain when she saw the Reverend make a quiet comment that had her friend covering her mouth to quiet her laughter. "Yes, I'm sure."

The man only grunted in response and they remained silently next to each other. Kagome felt a bit awkward standing beside a strange man, but she was also reluctant to leave his presence. With Sango dancing, Kagome had few other friends in town, largely due to the amount of time she had to spend at home with chores. She felt a bit wistful as she watched the other young people dance, suddenly wishing that one of the young men would come and ask her.

She was jostled from her musing when a group of revellers slammed into her back, nearly knocking her over as they tried to make it to the dance floor. She was saved the embarrassment of falling over by the quick arms of the stranger beside her. He had caught her with his arms around her waist, and even when she was back on her feet, he kept one arm around her back and tucked her closer against him.

Feeling uncomfortable with the continued invasion of her personal space, Kagome cleared her throat and attempted to step away. His arm tightened and he growled at her, "What? You want to get knocked over again? The crowd is going crazy while people change partners. Just give it a minute."

Sighing, Kagome conceded to his grip and returned to watching the exchanging of partners. When a large group of ladies approached the Reverend, he smiled apologetically at Sango as he accepted the next offer. Her friend looked offended for only a moment before she schooled her features into a look of indifference. When Kagome noticed her friend searching the crowd for her, she raised her arm quickly to signal her position. "Sango!" She called, "over here!"

"Christ but you're loud." Her stranger told her, removing his arm from around her to rub his ear. Kagome only rolled her eyes, turning her attention back to her friend.

When Sango finally made it through the crowd, Kagome eagerly gripped both her hands in excitement. "Oh, Sango. Did you have fun?"

Wary of the people surrounding them, Sango would only admit, "The Reverend is certainly a good dancer." She then gave a small laugh, "and he tells the most amusing stories!"

Kagome laughed too. "You will have to tell me his stories some time." Kagome enthused, beyond excited for the happiness of her friend.

The two girls whiled away an hour chatting idly about gossip in the town and shared observances about who was dancing with whom. They were thoroughly enjoying their time together until both girls were asked to dance: Kagome by the youngest Hojo, and Sango by Kuranoske. Sharing a look of exasperation, they allowed themselves to be lead to the dance floor where they fell into formation with the others.

Hojo was an adequate dance partner, as he had grown up in the same town as Kagome and was familiar with the dances they performed from years of attending the same balls. There were a few incidents where he trod a bit too heavily on Kagome's poor toes, but she overlooked them in favour of enjoying the dance.

In one of the partner exchanges that occurred in the dance sequence, Kagome ended up paired with the Reverend. His grip was firm and solid as he piloted her around the dance floor, and never once did he step on her toes. When the dance allowed, he engaged her in a light conversation.

"I'm afraid I'm a bit unfamiliar with some of these dances." He apologized, somewhat needlessly since he had not noticeably stepped a foot out of line since the dance began. "I hope you are as kind as you are beautiful and you will forgive me."

Kagome blushed slightly, unaccustomed to receiving compliments. "There is nothing to forgive," she responded, feeling slightly awkward. "I do love this dance."

"Indeed, it is a most enjoyable dance." He agreed politely.

Kagome felt as though someone were watching her and she turned discretely to see who it could be. When she realised it was Sango, Kagome felt guilty for conversing with the man her friend could be interested in. The situation didn't last long as it soon became time to exchange partners again, and so Kagome returned to Hojo's waiting arms to complete the dance.

After the smooth movements of the Reverend, dancing with Hojo was an awkward adjustment. Fortunately he only clomped on her toes twice more and only once knocked over the partners next to them when he spun in the wrong direction. When the final cord concluded the dance, Kagome moved immediately to rejoin Sango. She was intercepted by the Reverend, who asked her politely for the next dance.

When Kagome heard the beginning of the next reel, she knew it was one of Sango's favourites. Kagome placed Sango's hand in the Reverend's waiting grip. "This is one of Sango's favourite dances. She is the best partner for you to have to learn it!" Kagome hoped it was a reasonable excuse as she drifted back into the crowd. She noticed that the young couple gazed after her a moment in confusion before both seemed to ignore her odd behaviour and move into the correct dancing formation.

"I still don't think you should be meddling." The male voice from earlier commented, this time to Kagome's right. The tall stranger leaned against one of the pillars of the barn, chewing on one of the chestnuts in his hand while keeping his disinterested gaze turned towards the dance floor.

Fed up with the presumptive stranger, Kagome huffed, "well, who asked you?"

He turned his gaze towards her, the tilt of his mouth looking amused as he let the bitten chestnut dangle mid-air. Suddenly realising how hungry she was, Kagome eyed the nut enviously as she weighed out how rude it would be to steal a rude man's chestnut.

Deciding it was rude enough to get back to her mother and get her on bed pan duty for a week, Kagome stood on her tip toes as she tried to determine where the food was being served. She blinked in surprise when she was tugged back off her toes by a hand that could have only come from the rude stranger. She turned towards him to tell him off, but before she got the chance he held open a small bag towards her, his face intent on hers.

Curious at the silent invitation, Kagome gingerly slid her hand into the bag where she encountered a warm, smooth chestnut. Pulling one out, she beamed a smile at the stranger. "Thank you!" She laughed, "I wasn't looking forward to trying to wade through the crowd to find food and it is very kind of you to share with me."

The man looked embarrassed, his cheekbones were pinked in a blush as he looked away and brushed away her thanks with his hand. Chewing thoughtfully on her chestnut, Kagome spared him her further attention and turned back to the dancers. She mulled over who the stranger was...perhaps he was the coureur des bois that brought Reverend Hiroshi? That would account for him being at the party and for his being a stranger.

She was about to ask when she was interrupted. "Miss Higurashi?" Hojo called for her attention, lightly grasping her shoulder to turn her towards him. "May I have the next dance?"

Kagome was already trying to concoct an excuse when the stranger responded. "No. She's dancing the next one with me."

"She is?" Both Kagome and Hojo asked him at the same time, Kagome turning to look at him in confusion.

She only paused for a moment before apologizing to Hojo. "I'm sorry, but I have already promised the next dance to...uh...him..." Kagome tried not to look too obvious that she had no idea what the stranger's name was.

"Oh." Hojo seemed at a loss at this unexpected outcome, and remained awkwardly beside them for a moment before Kagome decided he needed a push to be on his way.

"Why not ask your mother to dance? She's been dying for a partner all evening!" Kagome gestured to where his mother stood next to his stern father, eyes trained on the dance floor.

Hojo followed her gesture, then he looked to her with a smile. "That is what I admire about you Miss Higurashi, you're always noticing the needs of others and placing them above your own."

Kagome smiled kindly in response. "Um...Thank you. Now, you should hurry along and ask her before they start."

"Yes, I will. Save the next one for me, if you would!" He called over his shoulder as he moved through the crowd.

Kagome just sighed in response before turning towards the stranger. "You don't have to dance with me." She told him, as he did not look like a dancer. "I can head home instead, and you can just tell him I was very tired."

"You don't want to dance?" He asked her, his tone quiet and serious.

Kagome, alarmed at possibly having offended him, was quick to accept. "No, I would very much like to dance."

He nodded and then moved towards the dance floor, ploughing through the people in his way instead of slipping between them as Kagome would have. Most people took no notice of his jostling but one or two looked their way in curiosity. Kagome's fingers latched on to the back of his cotton shirt so she wouldn't get separated from him as the crowd reformed behind him.

When they finally made it to the dance formation, Kagome was already breathless from the trip. She quickly took her place as the song began. It was a quick dance, which made it one of Kagome's favourites. She felt awkward dancing the slower ones before she was married, but with the faster dances the speed that the steps required made them much less uncomfortable.

It was during a tour where they walked the floor as a pair that Kagome decided she was tired of referring to him as 'the stranger.' "My name is Kagome." She volunteered, expecting a name in return.

It was not delivered. "I know," was the only response offered by the stranger. They moved between the dancers to their left, interrupting their conversation.

She decided to be more direct when they were switching sides of the dance line. "And your name is?"

He smirked at her. "Why?"

Her brow dented in confusion and she almost made a misstep as the girls and boys formed separate circles. She had three rotations to think up a response, and when the circle finally delivered her back to the stranger, she responded, "Because I would like to know."

He looked thoughtful for a moment as they began another tour. He continued to look contemplative until the moment where he released her back to the circle, where he muttered "That's not a good enough reason."

They were separated again as they spun in their gender appropriate circles, Kagome becoming irritated. When she rejoined him, she couldn't help but ask "why do I need a good reason?"

"Why do you need my name?" He countered, piloting her into the final turn of the dance.

Unfortunately no witty response came to Kagome's mind. "I ask because it is the polite thing to do?"

"I have never much cared for doing the polite thing." He responded, exchanging places with her in the line for a final time.

"That was pretty obvious." Kagome rebutted before she had time to think better of it. She was embarrassed by her rude response but he did not seem offended as his grin showed only amusement.

The dance came to a conclusion with the partners facing each other. Kagome decided for one last entreaty. "Please?"

The stranger looked thoughtfully at her open face, and for a moment Kagome thought he might cave, before his eyes hardened. "No."

"Oh." Kagome frowned. The two looked at each other in an awkward silence for a moment before the stranger cleared his throat.

"Anyways, you'd better get out of here." The stranger grumbled, placing his hand on the small of her back and pushing her rather forcefully towards the door. "Before that kid can come back and make you dance with him. It was painful to watch."

"It was painful to experience." She admitted before clapping her hand over her mouth in surprise. She could not believe the rude things she was saying. Never had she had such an open opinion to anyone but Sango.

He just grinned at her again. They were standing next to the open barn door where the chill of the night was flowing in. Kagome shivered as she tried to adjust to the sudden cold. He put pressure on her back to push her outside when a firm grip on her arm stopped her movement.

"Where do you think you're going?" Sango asked in confusion, her grip tight on Kagome's upper arm.

"Oh, hello there, Sango." Kagome smiled at her friend. "Are you enjoying the dance?"

"Yes, but not so much that you have to leave on your own. There are animals in these woods Kagome, you shouldn't be travelling unescorted." Sango admonished.

"I'm not alone." Kagome responded with confusion, "I'm with..." she trailed off when she realised that the stranger who had been by her side all evening was now gone. She looked around her in confusion, but the only sight that greeted her was the crush of dancers in the barn and the inky black of the night.

"You're with whom?" Sango asked, also looking around and not coming up with anyone.

Kagome shook her head, "no one. I guess I'm just tired and I wanted to head home."

Sango smiled in understanding. "I'm ready to head out too, just let me get a lantern."

"I'm afraid I cannot allow two ladies to travel home unescorted." They were interrupted by an unfamiliar voice. Both ladies turned to see the Reverend Hiroshi standing behind them, holding a lantern. "If you will allow me, I will take you home Miss Higurashi, before I accompany Miss Adachi back to her home where I am also currently residing."

"Oh, that would be very kind of you, Reverend Hiroshi." Kagome responded, enjoying the smile that had bloomed on her friend's face. "I will take the lantern and lead the way."

The Reverend extended the lantern towards her, and when she moved to take it their fingers accidently brushed on the handle. A bright purple spark erupted where their hands made contact, causing Kagome to abruptly pull away and the lantern fell between them.

Sango quickly scooped up the lantern, inquiring about what had happened.

The Reverend was looking at Kagome in a way that made her feel very nervous. The numb feeling in her hands was similar to the one she experienced after the episode with Souta. She laughed nervously and hoped she could cover her discomfort with an excuse. "Pardon me, Reverend." She demurred, "I was not expecting the heat of the lantern on my cold hands and I dropped it."

"Yes..."Reverend Hiroshi responded in a distracted tone. He seemed to shake himself from his reverie and responded in a more aware voice. "Yes of course that is what happened. Please forgive my clumsiness."

"No harm done." Kagome responded with a smile, though she made no move to take the lantern from Sango.

She then followed silently behind the chatting pair, allowing her friend to lead the small party to her house. She bid them a quiet good night, still thinking about the warm rush of energy that had preceded the spark.

As she lay down to bed that night, she couldn't help but ask the silent dark, "What is happening to me?"


	6. Chapter 6

_Off the map where the wild things grow  
Another world outside my door_

* * *

Kagome sighed as she trudged through the deep snow at the forest edge, her purpose hindered by the knee deep snow. It was by no means a graceful gait that carried her to her destination, her body heaving from side to side in as she ploughed forward, the large wicker basket she carried beating against her hip at each step.

This morning she had woken early and completed most of her chores before the rest of the house was awake. When her mother noticed that she was at the end of her required duties, she had asked if Kagome would mind going to collect more herbs to treat the coughs of the invalids. Kagome had of course acquiesced, forgetting that it was the dead of winter and that the only patch still growing would be in the protected area at Two Caves. Thus the normal 15 minute trip into the forest would now take more than an hour, and it would be after midday before she returned home to her mother.

Not that she would admit it out loud, but Kagome also found herself more wary of the forest since her last visit. Though she understands that Old Qualtrough's tales are just folklore, she still cannot explain the golden eyes she saw in that tree.

Mulling over the encounter distracted her enough that she almost missed the path down to Two Caves. Following a roughly sketched out path, Kagome eventually reached the sheltered region where the snow arced in a strange dome shape that created an insulated pocket, allowing plants to continue to live. Few plants could survive, even in these slightly forgiving conditions, and it was fortunate that their treatment for Consumption was found to grow here.

Removing her rabbit skin gloves, Kagome set to work loosening the dirt around the base of the plants to make them easy to pick without damaging the soil. She had placed only a few plants in her basket when she heard the low crunch of footsteps in the snow. Startled, Kagome sought about her person for a make shift weapon in case a wild animal came bursting into the clearing and she came up empty handed. Angry at her own lack of forethought, Kagome stood quickly and placed the basket in front of herself as a shield, getting dirt all over her cloak in the process.

She held her breath as she heard the footsteps cease, signalling that the mystery presence had reached the protected ground. She bent low to brace herself as she prepared to have to charge past the animal if they seemed threatening. A tall shadow preceded the entrance of a man.

Kagome prepared to lunge, but was halted mid-movement when a familiar voice called to her, "Good morning, Miss Higurashi!"

Kagome nearly fell over, both from her awkward position and with relief. "Good Morning, Reverend Hiroshi." She called as the Reverend entered the small enclosure with a friendly smile on his face.

"My, this spot is certainly most extraordinary." The Reverend remarked, looking about the snow-enclosed area. "I cannot say I have ever seen an area where plants grow in the winter."

"This place has been here for as long as I can remember. My father first brought me here when I was just a young child." Kagome remarked, as she was eager to educate the town's newest resident. "We call this area Two Caves because, well," she gestured to the two caves that flanked either side of the protected area, "there are two caves."

"Ah, I see. How reasonable." The Reverend commented. His attention then diverted from Kagome as he began to investigate the small space.

Seeing that he was otherwise occupied, Kagome knelt down to resume her task of picking herbs. Her efforts were slowed by the other plants that had grown in around the herb that she sought, and she often found herself picking the wrong plant. Frowning at her own apparent lack of focus, Kagome resumed her task with upmost concentration.

Her focus on the task at hand is likely why she started with surprised when the Reverend called for her attention. "I am sorry to disturb your focus, Miss Higurashi. I only wish to inquire what plant you are attempting to pick."

"This plant helps to decrease the coughing in victims of Consumption." She responded, handing him the herb.

He looked at it in consideration. "Ah. I was confused as you seem to be picking both types of plants in this patch. I had thought those plants were weeds."

Kagome blinked in surprise that he had noticed her distracted harvesting. "Yes, I seem to be having some difficulty concentrating this morning, for my hands keep reaching for the weeds when I really ought to be picking the herb."

"Please show me the weeds, if you would." Reverend Hiroshi asked kindly, extending his hand towards her.

Kagome placed a small stem into his hand and watched as he considered it for a moment. "Are you a botanist, Reverend Hiroshi?" She inquired politely. His interest seemed far too intelligent to be mere observation.

"It is an interest only at an amateur level. I do believe this plant is Kingsfoil." He responded, handing her back the small weed. When her hand closed around the stem, her fingers brushed his palm igniting another spark similar to the one from last night.

Kagome pulled back quickly, startled at the sudden sensation. The Reverend did not look surprised, and in fact looked rather grave. "Miss Higurashi, our touch has caused this reaction before."

Kagome said nothing, only nodded in acknowledgement. She felt the now-familiar energy surge under her skin, waiting to be released. When the Reverend reached out to touch her hand again, she shied away and put her rabbit skin gloves back on.

Reverend Hiroshi tried to smile in a consoling manner. "Please trust me Miss Higurashi when I tell you that this reaction is not a bad thing. It means that you are blessed."

"Blessed?" Kagome asked him, her voice heavy with scepticism.

"Yes. With abilities far greater than you are aware." His eyes were intense and scrutinizing. "Have you felt this energy before?"

Kagome thought back to the incident with Souta, and the time in the forest, but she did not feel ready to disclose those incidents, even if Reverend Hiroshi was a Man of God. "No, sir."

"Now Miss Higurashi, it is a sin to lie to your Reverend." He teased her, sensing her discomfort.

She smiled at his attempt at candour. "You may call me Kagome, Reverend." The situation was strange enough already that she didn't need to add the foreign idea of being referred to as Miss Higurashi.

"I would ask you to call me Miroku, but I already know that will be a lost cause." He smiled in understanding before affecting a posture of deep contemplation. "Perhaps Reverend Miroku would be a suitable compromise?"

"Reverend Miroku it is." Kagome acquiesced with a nod of affirmation.

"Well Kagome, I think I have learned what I needed from this trip to Two Caves. I shall depart to leave you in peace to pick your plants." Reverend Miroku commented as he stooped to pick up the weeds.

As he left, he turned before reaching the end of the protected area and offered a last piece of advice. "If I may suggest, I have often found that there are things our minds know without ever having learned them. When a strong instinct presents itself, I often find myself better suited to follow that feeling, rather than any logic I have learned."

Though confused by the advice, Kagome smiled at his thoughtfulness for imparting his wisdom. "Thank you Reverend. Shall I see you later at the Adachi residence?"

"I presume you are stopping by to visit Sango?" He inquired. When Kagome nodded the affirmative, he assured her, "then I will see you there. I will continue my residence until the ladies of the town deem the rectory suitable for my habitation."

Turning back to the path, Reverend Miroku called his farewells over his shoulder before he disappeared from sight, leaving Kagome confused in her pile of plants.

Though the message of his speech was clear enough, Kagome wondered what he had meant for her to do with the lesson. She had observed the effectiveness of the herb at preventing the cough, however it did not relieve the fever and did not seem to extend the lifespan of those afflicted.

She was left to muse over the possibility that there was a reason her hand kept mistakenly grasping the wrong plant. While she could perhaps allow the idea to be possible, was she willing to risk the well being of the patients in the hospice on her hunch?

Reaching down, she grasped what she had always presumed were weeds. When she felt the energy beneath her palm where the stem of the weed lay, she knew she had to at least try the other plant. Gathering both weed and herb, she carried her double burden slowly and carefully through the snow back to her home.

Once back inside, Kagome set the basket down on the kitchen table and readied the tools necessary to prepare the remedies. With her motar and pestle she ground up the plants and formed 2 different solutions. The first contained only the herb that lowered cough. The second, contained both the original herb and the weed with unknown properties. Though she knew it would be clearer if the weed is effective if she administered it alone, she did not have the heart to risk the patients that would end up with possibly no treatment. She dissolved both leaves in the same solution and prepared to give half the patients one tonic and the other half the unknown tonic.

After administering the medicine, Kagome waited anxiously in the doorway, ready to rush to the aid of anyone who may have been poisoned by her mixture. When there were no signs of sudden change in any of the patients, Kagome breathed a sigh of relief and went to find her mother. Hopefully Mama would not have more chores lined up and she could have the rest of the day to relax.


	7. Chapter 7

It turns out that Mama did have one last request to make of Kagome. The Sawyers were going to be visiting that evening so they could discuss the prognosis for poor little Abigail, and Mama thought it would be good for Kagome to observe how to break bad news gently.

"You have a good heart Kagome, but sometimes you must not bend your opinion, for we cannot afford to give people false hope." Mama explained quietly, her voice a motherly, dulcet tone. "It would only be cruel for the family to continue to expect a full recovery. This way, they have accepted the knowledge and can adjust their plans to make Abigail's remaining time as enjoyable as possible."

Before they could continue the conversation further, there was a knock on the door. Kagome answered it and accepted the snow-laden cloaks of the Sawyer family. As her mother led the small group to the adjoining parlour, Kagome hung their cloaks on the hooks to dry before entering the parlour herself.

All the guests were silent as Kagome and her mother served them tea. Only a few of the oil lamps had been lit in the room, allowing for a comfortably subdued atmosphere. The Sawyers occupied the two small sofas, while Kagome's mother sat in a small chair and Kagome stood against the wall in the corner.

Once all the guests had settled into their positions, Kagome's mother leaned forward in her chair to address Mrs. Sawyer. "Georgiana," she began addressing the mother, her voice as comforting and warm as honey tea, "I understand you are here to discuss Abigail's current condition."

"Yes, we are concerned that we have not been able to see her yet." Mrs. Sawyer nervously toyed with the gloves she held in her lap. "How is she?"

Kagome's mother reached forward to take hold of Mrs Sawyer's hand. "Georgiana, I must tell you that the news is rather serious."

Mrs. Sawyer held tightly to Mama's hand, her other hand raising to cover her mouth as she struggled to maintain composure. "How...how severe is it?" She asked, her lower lip already trembling.

Mr. Sawyer filled the ensuing pause by admitting, "We have spoken to other families in town whose children have fallen ill. They told us the children often get worse before they recover. Is it possible she is still on the way to recovery?"

Mama smiled a sad smile. "While some children do recover from very serious illness, I have never seen this occur when a child is as sick as Abigail." Kagome's mother took the hand of Mr. Sawyer and gave both parents hands a gentle squeeze. "We continue to pray for her and we will do absolutely everything we can, but I'm afraid there is not much we can do at this point."

Mrs. Sawyer pulled her hand away from Mama's and began to weep into her cupped hands, the depth of her misery not allowing her to be embarrassed by the emotional display. Kagome felt compelled to cross the room and offer some comfort, but as she moved away from the wall she felt a tug on the apron she wore around her waist.

Looking down, she saw small Abigail staring up at her with wide eyes and a handful of her apron. "Par'un me, Miss Kagome," the child began quietly, "but why is mama crying?"

Mrs. Sawyer looked up to see her small daughter, and it only made her cry harder. Kagome's mother gave her a serious look and made a slight motion with her hand, indicating that Kagome should take the child outside.

Once they were safely in the hallway, Kagome knelt down to look Abigail in the face. The sight that greeted her was surprising, for Abigail's cheeks had colour and she looked as lively a child as she had been before she was sick. Still, she shouldn't be out and wandering around in her condition, a fact which she relayed to the small girl.

"But Miss Kagome," she whined, her voice clear and without any remnant of cough, "I was so hungry I had to come looking for you."

"You were hungry?" Kagome asked in confusion. When Abigail only nodded her head with an adorable pout on her face, Kagome relented and led the girl to the kitchen where she served her a small bit of cheese. Watching the girl eagerly inhale the small bit of food before requesting more, Kagome couldn't believe this was the same girl.

Instructing the girl to return to her bed and stay there, Kagome returned to the parlour where Mama was cleaning up the dishes from the Sawyers' visit. They had not wanted to stay long after receiving the news and had left while Kagome was in the kitchen.

"Mama," she began, unsure how to explain what she had just seen, "I think you should go and examine Abigail. She's behaving most unusually, almost as if she is well."

Kagome's mother knew her daughter well enough to not dismiss her observations. Setting down the cup and saucer, she led the way into the Sick Room at the end of the hall. Even as they approached the room, Kagome noted the absence of the usual sound of coughing and was pleased that, if nothing else, the herb was providing some comfort to the ill.

When the two women entered, what they observed could only be described as astounding. Half of the patients were either sitting up in their beds or standing up and walking around. Abigail was sitting on the knee of an elderly woman that they had been sure would not last the night, both chatting excitedly about being well enough to return home.

The difference between the two halves of the room was astounding, with one half acting fully recovered and the other staring at them in silent envy. Kagome felt her mouth gape open as she watched the scene before her.

Kagome's mother donned the apron she kept hanging by the door and began moving around the beds of the seemingly-healthy patients, checking their breathing, balance, and other assessments of their health. Kagome busied herself with the sick half, checking to make sure they had enough water and soothing the distressed patients.

When they had both finished their rounds, Kagome's mother gestured for her daughter to follow her into the hallway. They walked a short distance together into the parlour, where her mother sat down with a quizzical tilt to her brow.

Kagome took a seat next to her mother on the sofa, waiting for her mother to speak. "I have never seen anything like this," she confided, her voice quiet with disbelief. "Half of them fully recovered, in one evening? How is this possible? What happened?"

Kagome squirmed in her seat. Did she confess to her mother what had happened this afternoon? She couldn't believe the results herself. How had she known that the plants they had always assumed were weeds would be a cure? Why did Reverend Miroku tell her to follow that instinct?

Deciding those were concerns for another time, Kagome gently took her mother's hand to draw her attention. "Mama...I gave half the patients a different herb this afternoon." Kagome winced when she saw her mother's incredulous expression. "I gave it along with the usual herb to alleviate cough. I...just thought the situation was hopeless enough that it was worth a try."

"Kagome..." Mama looked stern, "you can't just start experimenting on our patients. That herb could have been poisonous!"

"I know!" Kagome burst out, "but I also knew that it was safe. Please don't ask me how Mama. But the Reverend Miroku said it would be safe and I...just knew it was the right thing to do."

Kagome looked down in shame after her outburst. "I am sorry, Mama. I should not have done that."

Kagome's eyes widened with surprise when she was drawn into a crushing hug from her mother. "On the contrary Kagome," Mama whispered, her voice sounding tight with tears, "it seems you have saved these people. I...don't know how you did it, but...thank you."

"If anyone deserves thanks it's you, Mama." She admitted, her eyes feeling the warning sting of tears, "you work so hard to tend to these people. It was all I could do to help."

The two women pulled apart to smile at each other with love and appreciation. "Well, I am going to get everyone off to bed so we can discharge those that are well in the morning." Kagome's mother stood up and dusted her hands on her apron. "I realise that it is late, but if you could mix up the rest of your tonic tonight, I would appreciate it."

"Yes, of course!" Kagome responded with enthusiasm as they exited the parlour to their designated positions.

Kagome would spend all night in the kitchen preparing her curing tonic. By the next morning, all the patients in the hospice were being discharged with a clean bill of health.


	8. Chapter 8

Kagome sat at her family's small dining table, enjoying her breakfast at a leisured pace. With the resolution of the Consumption epidemic the hospice was left relatively empty, and as a result Kagome's chores had been reduced significantly. At present she was enjoying an unprecedented increase in spare time by taking an extra long time to eat her food.

Once she had finished her meal, she gave a small sigh of satisfaction before collecting her dishes and placing them by sink to be washed after the evening meal. Kagome paused for a moment in the kitchen to consider what to do with the rest of her day. A visit to Sango's house sounded like an excellent place to start, and after primly tying on her bonnet and pulling on her gloves, she was out the door and on her way.

It was a cold day and the winter chill had the townsfolk rushing to their destinations, leaving few people on the roadway to slow Kagome's trip to the Smithy. When walking past the shop, Kagome could hear the sharp ring of metal on metal, indicating that Sango's father was already at work even this early in the morning. Skirting around the side of the shop, Kagome approached the front door of the Adachi residence and politely knocked.

"Good morning, Miss Kagome." Marie greeted cheerfully when she opened the door.

"Good morning, Marie." Kagome responded in kind, allowing herself to be welcomed into the foyer of the home. "By any chance, is Sango awake already?"

"Oh, yes." Marie's response was quick. Her tone became mischevious when she imparted, "I'm afraid you've already missed her. Miss Adachi was quite eager to get out on the ice this morning. I believe that Reverend Hiroshi was accompanying her."

Kagome noted the maid's sly smile and couldn't help the responding smile on her face. "The Reverend, you say?" Kagome felt and unfamiliar smirk tilt her lips. "They got a very early start to the day. Perhaps I will go and see how they are faring?"

The two girls shared an understanding glance. Marie opened her mouth to offer a comment, but before she could respond their conversation was interrupted by the entrance of Sango's father to the foyer.

"Ah, Kagome!" He greeted her in his booming baritone. His hands and face were both dyed black from his work in the shop, which made his teeth seem an unnatural shade of white when he smiled. "Come to see Sango? Well you've missed her!"

Kagome shifted nervously and edged towards the door, "well, if that's the case perhaps I'd better..."

"She left with the Reverend Miroku!" Mr. Adachi continued, and Kagome was obliged to stay despite her obvious discomfort in his intimidating presence. "Can you believe that my Winter Rose is finally starting to bloom?"

"Ah, my little girl has certainly grown up, and she's now finally, finally, considering marriage." Kagome could practically see the stars in Mr. Adachi's eyes at the thought of it.

"Have...arrangements already been made?" Kagome queried. If so it had been an awfully short courting period, especially for someone so particular in her acquaintance as Sango.

"No, no." Mr. Adachi shook his head. "But, for Sango to take an interest in anyone... it is more than I had hoped for. I was always happy about her interest in Smithing, but I worried that it would intimidate the boys of the village and I tried to get her to stop. She was at it again last night, working away at that pet sword of hers."

Sango's father shook his head in disbelief, "and who should catch her up in the wee hours of the night but the Reverend? I was on my way to the shop to tell her to be quieter myself when I caught the two of them in there, with Sango teaching the poor man what all the tools of the trade were. Reverend Miroku didn't even act surprised to see a woman doing such a thing!"

Kagome smiled with relief at the good fortune of her friend. "I am happy to hear that he is accepting of Sango."

"So you also think she has an interest in him?" Sango's father did not wait for confirmation before declaring. "I do think there will be a wedding before the spring thaw!"

Kagome smiled politely at his enthusiasm and made a movement towards the door, presuming that the conversation was finished.

She was wrong. "What about you, Kagome?" He asked, his eyes fixing her in her place like an insect stuck with a pin. "You've still a few years left to decide, but are there any young men that catch your eye?"

Kagome smiled slightly ruefully and admitted, "I am afraid I have been much too busy with the hospice to even appreciate the beauty of the village, let alone observe any of its inhabitants."

Sango's father laughed at her response. "Such a polite girl you are! Well, what about that young man you were dancing with at the ball? The town has been talking about who he is and how you knew him."

Realising they were finally at the heart of the matter, Kagome admitted the truth, knowing full well she was setting herself up for a scolding. "I did not know who he was, Mr. Adachi." She turned her face away. "I...just wanted to dance and he asked..."

A large hand settled on her shoulder and turned her to look back at Mr. Adachi. "Now Kagome, you know better than to be talking to strange young men at the ball." He regarded her thoughtfully for a moment. "The time during the Consumption outbreak must have been very hard for you, but you are young and you need to get out more on the town. Go and meet spend time with some of the other village youths. I cannot always been shipping over young men from England to marry our daughters."

"Thank you for the advice, Mr. Adachi." Kagome smiled at him, thankful for his kindness, but also slightly embarrassed at his observation of her solitary behaviour.

"Anytime, Kagome," he smiled at her with a warm, paternal smile that made Kagome think Sango was very lucky to have such a father.

Understanding that she was finally free to leave, Kagome muttered a quiet farewell before dashing out the door onto the street. Finding herself again at a loss for an occupation, Kagome decided to stop by the river to at least observe how Sango and the Reverend were fairing.

While on the short trip, Kagome considered how isolated she had becoming during the outbreak. Many of the villagers that passed her on her commute, while not exactly being strangers, were also very far from being friends. Upon reaching the river shore, she noted a large group of youths around her age lacing their skates or walking out on the ice in their shoes, laughing and enjoying the day. They were likely going to advantage of the free ice, as Souta, Kohaku, and their brood were off today having a hunting lesson in the woods. Kagome knew a few of the teenagers by first name, and most by family name, but she did not dare join them for she was too timid.

Instead, she sought the river surface for Sango's slim figure. She spied her assisting an unstable Reverend across the ice, Sango on her skates and the Revered in his shoes. Kagome watched as Reverend Miroku hit a bump in the ice and fell ungracefully into a heap, taking Sango down with him. They laughed together from where they lay sprawled on the ice until they were breathless. The fall had caused Sango's bonnet to fall to an angle and the Reverend reached up and adjusted its orientation, his hands just a few centimetres from framing Sango's face. Sango blushed and looked to the side, but she did not pull away, even when it took an inordinate amount of time to set the bonnet to rights. When Sango and the Reverend met and held each other's gaze, Kagome could see the affection between them even from her distance.

Rather than the bubble of happiness she usually felt when she saw her friend with the Reverend, Kagome felt an unexpected twist in her stomach. It was the gouge of envy, not for the affection of the man himself, but at the sight of her friend so happy. Kagome had never realised how much she had depended on the companionship of her dear friend before the future of their relationship was comprised.

Considering how agreeable Sango's father had been to the relationship, it was perhaps not that outrageous to expect they would be married before Spring. Married women had different priorities, and they were much too busy to spend time with their unmarried friends. They suddenly had households to maintain, a husband to feed and keep, not to mention the social obligations that would accompany being the Reverend's wife.

As Kagome stood on the riverbank, watching, she had never felt more alone in her life.

Almost as soon as the thought formed, Kagome felt it. The Presence, just on the edge of her senses, was calling to her from the forest beyond her house. The pull was gentle and barely perceivable, but it was a comfort to Kagome and she willingly followed its summons. As she began to walk to the forest, she felt eyes on her back and turned her eyes back to the river. There she met the Reverend's gaze where he stared at her questioningly.

Kagome spared a moment to turn back and wave, as the Reverend's stare had drawn Sango's attention and she had also turned to look at her friend. Sango beckoned for Kagome to join them on the ice, but Kagome resisted, both for wanted to give them time together and for wanting to get to the forest. When Sango waved her acceptance, and the Reverend's attention was once again diverted, Kagome picked up her pace to return to her home. It would be a welcome feeling to be back where she belonged.

She passed her own homestead without a pause, walking directly towards the edge of the forest. As she reached the treeline she paused, considering the wisdom of going into the woods unaccompanied without telling her mother she was leaving. Though it was unlikely that she should be needed, and she was heading to the tree she was known to rest at, Kagome felt her mother would appreciate being told.

As she turned to head back to the house, Kagome halted when she heard the faint call of her name, along with the crashing of underbrush as something moved through the forest. She had barely braced herself before Souta and Kohaku came barrelling out of the forest at top speed.

"You explain the situation to Kagome," Souta instructed Kohaku breathlessly, "I'll run ahead to warn Mama to expect her." Without any further word to Kagome, Souta rushed off towards the house, shouting for their mother.

"Kohaku, what's going on?" Kagome asked him quietly. The boy was pale and shaking, and Kagome wasn't sure it was because of the cold. She quickly pulled off her cloak and wrapped it around his small form, before kneeling down to wrap an arm around his shoulders.

"We...followed the tracks of a bear. Mister Kodger said it was strange to see one wandering this deep in winter, so we followed it to see where it went." Kohaku explained in his soft voice, a slight tremor to his frame as he remembered. "We followed it to a small clearing where there was...there was...men...or what was left of them..."

His shaking was getting too much for Kagome to bear, so she halted his explanation by turning him into her shoulder and holding him closely. She stroked up and down his back soothingly as she watched Souta tell the story to Mama at the back stoop. Mama had simply nodded when her brother finished talking and then went back inside the house, while Souta ran back across the yard to Kagome.

"They're going to bring the girl here, so Mama was getting a bed ready for her." Souta explained, though the explanation only made Kagome more confused.

"A girl?" Kagome queried, and when Kohaku's shoulders gave a harder tremor, Kagome assumed the worst. "Is she...?"

"No, she's not dead." Souta told her, his voice steady and sure. Kagome blinked at him for a moment, wondering when her brother had become such a little man. He instantly became a boy again when he told her, while blushing heavily, "but she is naked. We found in the clearing with the men. Kodger and one of the older boys are helping to carry her. Me and Kohaku got sent ahead to tell you and Mama to be ready."

Kagome's mother soon joined the small party at the forest's edge, her eyes sharp and alert at the treeline for signs of the girl's arrival. She obviously noticed Kohaku's position in Kagome's embrace but she said nothing, only gave Kagome a small smile in pride for the care she was giving Sango's younger brother.

When Mr. Kodger and the boy broke the tree line, Mrs. Higurashi quietly led them into the Sick Room with their bundle, Kagome trailing behind with the boys holding each of her hands. When all the men and boys had been shooed from the room, Kagome and her mother unwrapped the girl from the collection of cloaks she had been draped in.

She was not a girl, but rather a small young woman. Kagome and her mother examined her for any evidence of an attack by a bear, but all that was observed was pale, unblemished skin. Her black hair was matted and her lips and fingertips were a light blue from being in the snow for too long, but she otherwise appeared healthy and well.

Dressing her quickly in a shift and swaddling her in blankets near the fire, Kagome and her mother set in for a long afternoon of waiting for the girl to wake. For Kagome, it was far from a boring afternoon as she mulled over the current situation.

What is the likelihood that a girl would remain untouched in a vicious bear attack that left 4 men dead? Can they really just chalk it up to another miracle? How many miracles can one town have before their luck runs out?


	9. Chapter 9

Kagome was alone in the Sick Room when her small charge awoke with a strangled gasp. The girl sat straight up in the cot, her breathing hard and her eyes roving the room wildly, as if she expected the bear to attack her from any corner. Kagome rushed to her side, putting a bracing arm around the girl's shoulders and smoothed her hair back, murmuring soft words of comfort as she controlled the girl's wild thrashing.

When the girl wore herself out, her shoulders slumped in Kagome's embrace and her head tipped downwards as she began to sob. Kagome sat on the side of the cot and moved the girl more fully into the circle of her arms. They sat in silence as the girl sobbed, obviously too hysterical to question where she was or why she was there.

Eventually she quieted and Kagome released her and allowed her to lie back down. The girl was barely lucid, but she met Kagome's gaze and asked, "Who...are you? Where...?"

Kagome moved the hair away from her face and smiled warmly. "I'm Kagome Higurashi. You're in a hospice in a village near Fort Cataraqui. If I might ask, who are you?"

"What of the men I was travelling with?" The girl asked urgently, looking about the room as best as she could without sitting up. "Are they here too?"

Kagome had been hoping this conversation could wait until her mother was present to deliver the bad news. "No, honey," she ventured, "they...didn't make it here."

"Oh." Her eyes looked to the side. "The bear...?"

"Yeah," Kagome watched the girl for any sign of distress, but the girl seemed at peace with the news.

"I had already guessed as much..." she admitted, "I don't think anyone could have survived...that..."

She was starting to look distressed again, so Kagome tried to distract her from remembering the incident. "You look tired," Kagome placed her hand on the side of the girl's face to draw her attention, her touch soft and gentle, "perhaps you should get more sleep."

"Yes...I think...thank you, Kagome." The girl smiled wanly as she nestled back beneath the huge volume of blankets. "My name is...Bernadette. Thank you for saving my life."

"No thanks is needed, Bernadette." Kagome responded as she stood and watched the girl slowly succumb to her exhaustion.

Tucking the blankets more securely under Bernadette's chin, Kagome then cast about the room for any further work that needed to be done before she could retire to the kitchen for some food. She had skipped the evening meal to tend to Bernadette while her mother went to eat with her younger brother. She hoped they had left some food for her. With her growing younger brother, it wasn't infrequent for her to have to fight for her share.

With one last look at the sleeping Bernadette, Kagome exited the Sick Room quietly. She walked quickly to the kitchen, eager to have something to eat as she felt half-starved from tending to Bernadette all afternoon. When she reached the kitchen, she was just about to open the door when she heard her mother say her name in a harsh whisper to whoever else was in the room.

"...Kagome is a hard-working and honest girl. Why would they say these things about her?" Her mother hissed harshly. Kagome was surprised, as she had never heard such a tone from her gentle mother.

"I am not certain who started these mutterings, but they are catching and they are catching fast." The other voice warned, and the low rumble was unmistakably Sango's father.

"We are a good, God-fearing family, Hiro." Mama was starting to sound distressed. "The work that Kagome has done has been...nearly miraculous, if you will forgive the suggestion. How can someone twist it so?"

"There have been some concerns about the timing of her miracles. Why has she only performed these acts when she has seen some benefit? Why did she not save the other children, only her own brother? Why did she not cure the other people who fell ill with consumption?" Mr. Adachi responded, before hastily adding, "at least, those are the questions that others are asking."

"Has...anyone been suggesting any actions towards Kagome?" Mama asked hurriedly.

There was a scraping of a chair as, presumably, Mr. Adachi stood from being seated at the kitchen table. "No, thank the Lord." He reassured her, "so far it is just harmless rumours. I will keep my ear out if I hear anything and be sure to spread a counter-opinion. Kagome is a good girl, and while these events seem extraordinary, they are most certainly coincidence."

"Yes, of course," Mama agreed quietly, "and thanks you for your work on our behalf. Kagome is so close to marrying age, I would hate for her future to be put in jeopardy over these rumours."

"This all will have been long forgotten before Kagome is ready to marry." Mr. Adachi said calmly, sounding certain that it all would be resolved.

Kagome was far from relieved to hear him say that. While she was not certain exactly what she was being accused of, or by whom, it didn't sound like people were discussing her in a positive light. How dare someone presume that she only did these things because she had a personal profit to gain?

Although, she had to admit that she herself was still not certain why the events had transpired the way they had, and if questioned, how could she possibly explain what had truly occurred. She had never considered the source of her strange power, and had never considered if there may be some evil behind giving her these gifts. She wondered how could evil feel so pleasant and so right? Why would she be performing these benevolent actions if the energy was evil?

Lost in her musings, Kagome forgot to step away from the door as Mr. Adachi was exiting and she was nearly hit in the face.

"Ah, Kagome!" He exclaimed in surprise, "I did not see you there. Are you alright?"

"Quite fine thank you, Mr. Adachi." Kagome responded politely, her hand on her chest to still her rapidly beating heart.

"Excellent. Well, I must be going. Good night, Higurashi Ladies." He offered a slight smile before blustering out the front door.

"Kagome, are you alright?" Mama asked again, her eyes keen on Kagome's face. "You look very pale. Did...you overhear what Mr. Adachi and I were talking about?"

Kagome looked at her mother's worried face and decided not to worry her further. "I'm fine Mama. I'm just tired from comforting Bernadette." When her mother looked confused, Kagome hurriedly explained, "That's her name...the girl who was found in the woods. She woke up just awhile ago and told me her name. She was very upset and needed some comforting, so I just held her until she quieted and told her to get some sleep."

"Ah, I see." Kagome's mother smiled, her calm, motherly disposition returning, "I am glad to hear you tended to her so kindly. Now I think it is time for you to have some supper."

"Did Souta save me anything?" Kagome asked with an impish smile, which made her mother laugh lightly.

"I think you will find much more than you expect remaining." Mama looked worried again when she divulged, "I don't think Souta had much of an appetite after this afternoon."

Both women exchanged a worried glance before Kagome attempted to make light of the situation. "Well, then there will be more for me to eat." She feigned some cheerfulness, and while it was dimmer than usual her mother smiled anyways.

"Go on then, I won't keep you." Kagome's mother pushed her towards the table, "we are all going to need our strength for the days to come."


	10. Chapter 10

_Here I stand I'm all alone  
Driving down the pitch black road  
Lilah you're my only home  
And I can't make it on my own.  
_

* * *

After overhearing the fact that hurtful rumours were being spread about her, Kagome couldn't help but look at her social isolation in a new light. She had always assumed it was her shyness and work in the hospice that had kept her away from the company of the other villagers, but now she saw that perhaps they were also avoiding her. For instance, when she walked down the road in the busy afternoon, she was never bumped or jostled as she once was, but rather a pathway would be clear for her to travel.

Sometimes she heard whispers and it made her heart break. Kagome could not think what she had done to deserve this kind of treatment. It seemed that she was either treated as an exalted angel by those she had saved, or avoided like horse dung by those who had lost someone to consumption before her cure.

In contrast to Kagome's new unpopularity, Bernadette had become the belle of the town since she left the Higurashi's Sick Room for her new residence in the Pemberly household. The youngest Pemberly was recently married, and so the family had offered her newly emptied room to Bernadette for her temporary stay. Now that she had been unofficially declared as a resident of the town, it seemed that she always had a small troupe of gentlemen following her, eager to do even the smallest tasks she requested.

It could have been due to Bernadette's physical attractiveness, as Kagome had never seen a woman more beautiful. She had a rounded flat nose that branched from between her pitch dark eyes. At times the blackness seemed to draw you in, and Kagome found that when she stared in them, she felt as if she were being held captive.

Bernadette was also remarkably strong for a woman who was so petite. Kagome doubted that many of the villagers were aware of the fact, as Bernadette was always quick to ask for assistance whenever something strenuous was required. However, late at night Kagome had often observed her lifting large logs to feed the fire in the Pemberly home, logs that were much too heavy for even Sango to heft.

Now that Kagome was thinking about Sango, she allowed her mind to drift to her friend who seemed to be the only person unaffected by all this business. Sango was still floating on the cloud of her newfound happiness with the Reverend, too overwhelmed to notice what was happening here on earth. Kagome felt it would be unkind to drag her friend down into the mess she found herself in, so she allowed Sango to remain oblivious to her troubles.

The two friends were currently enjoying their free afternoon by skating on the ice. Sango skated in mechanical figure eights in a daze, her eyes glazed over as her mind was a million miles from the river. Kagome, deciding for the moment to find the positive side of her newfound social isolation, skated in large circles while enjoying the area cleared around her by the wary townsfolk.

"Kagome," prompted Sango, adjusting the curve of her skating to match Kagome's circle to speak with her, "do you think there is something odd happening in town?"

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked, hoping and yet dreading that Sango was finally noticing that the two of them were utilizing half the river while the rest of the youths from the town crammed into the other half.

"I mean that most of the men seem...distracted..." Sango commented, the pair of them slowing the pace of their skating to allow for a leisured conversation.

She continued, "Roderick hasn't been on time for his work in the Smith all week. And I have heard Mrs. Norris complain that Hojo's older brother Daisaku has not been arriving at work to work at the shop. What do you think it could be?"

"I have a feeling I know what's going on." Kagome admitted frankly. Both girls altered their course to be able to peer over at the other half of the river inconspicuously. A large ring of young gentleman had formed around Bernadette, who skated proudly in the middle like a hen with her chicks. Dotting the periphery around the circle were clusters of the village girls, glaring coldly at their competition as she strutted about with her captive audience. "Bernadette is what has happened. None of the men have been able to leave her side for days."

"Days, you say?" Sango responded in surprise. "I am surprised I didn't notice sooner."

Kagome only shrugged a shoulder in response, "Souta was the one who brought it up first when he complained that Daisaku wouldn't take him out hunting any more. I guess the he and Kohaku have noticed more bear tracks in the woods and Souta wants to go and shoot it." The two girls shared exasperated expressions about the foolishness of their brothers.

"Well they can't keep up this behaviour for much longer," Sango commented, pushing off to skate ahead of Kagome, "Mrs. Norris is just about ready to go over and beat some sense into Daisaku."

Sango pushed all of her weight onto one skate and she fell into a graceful, loose loop that tightened into a quick spiral. When she relaxed out of her stance, she smiled at having completed the motion, before looking about the empty ice space in confusion. "Kagome," she peered around, finally noticing the unusual amount of room they were afforded, "why is everyone..."

"Miss Adachi! Miss Higurashi!" The call came from the riverbank on the road to town. Both girls turned to look at the shore, where Reverend Miroku stood with his hands cupped around his mouth to call to them. "Some assistance, if you please?" He quirked his head to the side, his expression bright with a charming smile.

"The Reverend is hopeless at skating." Sango whispered to Kagome as the two girls began to skate to his side. For her part, Kagome was more relieved that the Reverend's appearance had saved her from explaining to Sango why they were afforded half the ice and the rumours that were the root of it.

Kagome noticed that, when she crossed the invisible line that had divided the lake, the youths all quieted their games and stared at her. Only Bernadette offered a friendly smile and a wave of hello. Kagome returned the wave, but it was not enough to prevent her from being depressed. The Reverend was located further past the youth than Kagome was willing to travel, so she decided to excuse herself and go back to "her" side of the river.

"Sango," she fished in her mind for something that sounded plausible, "I...why don't you just go and assist the Reverend and I will stay on our part of the river to keep it clear. You know how quickly the crowds can form."

"That is true." Sango looked thoughtful for a moment. "That sounds like a good idea, Kagome."

Nodding, Kagome placed her skates in a 'T' to push off when Sango placed a hand on her arm to stay her for a moment.

"Kagome," Sango looked up through her eyelashes at her friend and Kagome was endeared by the vulnerability in the expression. "Do...you think that the Reverend will also be so...distracted...by the new villager?"

Kagome looked from her friend's imploring expression to the young man on the shore. The Reverend's patient gaze had not moved from where Sango stood, despite the holler of greeting he had received from Bernadette. Kagome leaned close to her friend, a bright smile on her face. "I can assuredly tell you that the Reverend is far too smitten with you to even look her way."

"Oh, you...don't know that..." Sango blushed bright red, but the smile on her face was undeniably pleased.

"You should head over Sango," Kagome gave her friend a little push that had her gliding across the ice, "I will be waiting for you over there."

Moving back to the empty ice, Kagome skated over to the far bank to give herself more space from the other youths. It was starting to get difficult for her to face the animosity from the other people her age. Kagome couldn't ignore her concern about how this stigma would affect her ability to marry in a few years time. Would it really all pass as Mr. Adachi had said?

" Kagome." an unfamiliar voice called to her quietly from the shore opposite the town.

Kagome turned toward the shore to search out the source of her name. Only the riverbank had been cleared on this side of the river, with dense forest still occupying the rest of the land. The tall conifers looked beautiful when laden with snow, their branches drooping from the strain.

Looking quickly up and down the river bank, the only disturbance in the otherwise pure snow of the shore was the black of a Raven. It stood, stately and still on the shore, where it seemed to be staring directly at Kagome.

It opened its beak, but instead of the call of a raven that she had been expecting, it spoke only her name. "Kagome."

Looking back and forth on the bank, Kagome could spy no other source of the call. "Are you...speaking?" she asked incredulously.

"Yes." It responded, its voice dull like the thud of a rock on the ground. It met her surprised expression with no emotion of its own, its yellowed eye staring unblinking at her own.

"Are you speaking...to me?" Kagome asked, her voice a mere whisper as she skated as close to the edge of the river as she could.

"Yes." Was the Raven's only response, as the two continued to stare at each other. Kagome began to feel as if she had been hypnotized by the great darkness in its eye, as if the depths of death were hiding in its gaze. When she started to feel as if she would pitch forward into the abyss, the warmth of her own power rose up and held her back.

Once she regained her senses, Kagome asked of the Raven, "What...do you want?"

"I have come to warn you." The Raven responded simply, its empty expression revealing nothing. Its gaze left Kagome as it took a moment to shake the snow from its wings. Its wings did not shine like a regular raven, rather it was as matte a shade of black as the flatness of its voice.

"Warn me?" Kagome repeated, beginning to feel embarrassed by the simplicity of her responses. She supposed she could be forgiven if her first conversation with a bird was a bit awkward.

"Yes." The Raven resumed staring at her, offering no further information.

"Warn me about what?" Kagome asked, almost exasperated at the pace of the conversation.

"Death." The Raven said simply, its pointed peak barely opening to utter the word.

The simple syllable was enough to rattle Kagome. "Death?" she whispered, her eyes darting back and forth as her mind raced. The one word could foretell so much. She asked fearfully, "my death?"

"No." The Raven seemed to consider this for a moment. "Not yet."

"Oh," Kagome was puzzled and hardly comforted by this response, "is it my family? Who is in danger?"

Rather than answering the question directly, the Raven only responded "Beware."

"Beware of what?" Kagome asked fearfully, again casting her gaze about the shore as if Death itself were hiding somewhere in the shadows.

The Raven turned to focus on something in the distance before responding, "Beware..."

"Kagome! Watch this!" called Bernadette loudly from her side of the ice, startling Kagome from her conversation.

Kagome rebalanced herself on her skates and turned quickly to wave congenially and watch Bernadette execute a basic spin, forcing a smile to her face in the hopes of appearing normal. Bernadette's only response was to stare at Kagome for a moment as she exited her spin, her black gaze intense and scrutinizing, even from her distance. When she evidently did not find what she was looking for, she gave Kagome a bright smile before turning her attention back to her circle of admirers.

Deciding to ignore the odd village girl for now, Kagome turned back to where the Raven had stood. The riverbank was empty, its pristine whiteness restored with no sign that the Raven had ever been there. Kagome looked back and forth and even skated up the length of the river before conceding that the Raven had gone.

So distracted in her hunt for the Raven to press for more information, she hadn't noticed Sango and the Reverend returning until they were at her side.

"You look pale as a ghost!" declared Sango, who released the Reverend's hands to take Kagome's. "Are you alright?"

"Oh," Kagome gave a soft laugh in hopes of waving away her friends concern and returning her own spirits, "I thought I might have...spotted the bear!" She continued in a hurried rush "It gave me an awful fright, but I was obviously mistaken."

"I don't think a bear would come this close to people when there is so much noise." Sango commented, releasing her friend's hands. "There is nothing to fear."

"Did you happen to notice a Raven on this bank, Kagome?" asked the Reverend, his smile calm and friendly.

"Er...yes, I suppose there was a raven, Reverend," Kagome wrung her hands, anxious that someone may have heard her "conversation" with the bird. "I was so distracted with the bear that I did not notice."

"Ah, I see." The Reverend nodded as if he accepted her story, but Kagome was almost certain he believed otherwise. She became more suspicious when he commented, "I have heard that Ravens are omens of bad fortune. Perhaps we should all be more wary on the ice?"

Kagome smiled weakly while Sango outright laughed. "Bad Omens?" she nudged the Reverend playfully when she teased, "really Reverend. I thought I warned you not to listen to Old Qualtrough when he starts his stories."

The Reverend found Sango's smile contagious and broke out in a pleased grin of his own. "I cannot help it if I am enamoured by the folktales of the village." He responded warmly, "there is much of this town I have found myself in love with already."

"You...are in love with it?" Sango asked in a timid voice.

Reverend Miroku met her questioning gaze with an expression of equal intensity. "Yes, I find myself hoping that I never have to leave...the village."

Understanding that this was the pair's odd way of expression affection without directly expressing it, Kagome quietly excused herself. Not only had seen been feeling uncomfortable, but she was also oddly fatigued after the short skate. The Raven's message was also weighing heavily on her mind.

Someone was going to die in her village. And it was going to be sometime soon. The Raven had not even told her if it would be in her family. Instantly her first thoughts jumped to Souta and all his gallivanting about the in woods after the bear. Perhaps she should keep a closer eye on him and ask him to stay in town for a few days.

Upon reaching the bank of the river, Kagome changed back into her shoes before beginning the trek home with her skates slung over one shoulder, determined to keep her brother safely at home, even if she had to chain him there.


	11. Chapter 11

AN: This chapter is relatively long and includes a separate folktale I read and adapted to try to provide a larger expanse to the universe I am writing in. I prefer to imagine the story I am writing is like a cookie cutter that is cutting one fraction out to be studied from a huge universe of dough.

* * *

She had only travelled a few steps before she was halted by Old Qualtrough, who had been standing on the shore, leaning heavily on his wooden cane as he watched the skaters on the ice.

"Oh, Kagome love," he hailed her in his thick Irish brogue, "Do you have a moment to spare darlin'?"

Kagome, who would readily admit to being easily charmed by the old man, smiled and halted her steps. "Of course I do, Mr. Qualtrough. What can I help you with?"

"I was just wonderin' what that Raven had to say to you. " He leaned close to her, his eyes a vivid blue beneath his thick grey eyebrows, a small smile pulling his lips when he divulged, "those croakers don't much stray close to humans anymore. It must've been important."

"Er..." Mindful of the small group of older adults gathered about the river, Kagome floundered for an appropriate response. "You...must be confused, Mr. Qualtrough. I was merely curious about the bird and I took some time to observe it."

Old Qualtrough considered her for a moment, his eyes sharp as they scrutinized her nervous face. "Ah, I see now, darling." He winked at her before he scratched his thick beard thoughtfully. "I must be gettin' tired and these old eyes be seeing things. Best I be gettin' home."

He took a few staggering steps forward before his balance pitched to one side so badly that Kagome lunged forward to catch him before he could fall. "Cor Blimey!" Old Qualtrough huffed to himself impatiently, "these legs of mine are as useful as a lighthouse on a bog. Kagome, be a dear and help me home? There'll be some fine tea in it for ya."

Without hesitation Kagome offered her arm. "Certainly Mr. Qualtrough," she smiled warmly as he linked his arm with hers and rested his weight on her as they hobbled towards his small home close to the river.

After the short trip, Kagome settled him on a chair at his table before she moved to the stove and began to heat the water for a pot of tea. She fussed about getting the tea prepared in silence, listening to the creak and groan of the chair as Qualtrough got himself settled, and the quiet whistle of his breathing as he moved.

Once the tea had been served, Kagome seated herself in the chair opposite to the old man, smiling warmly before taking a sip of her tea.

"So, about the Raven..." began Old Qualtrough, with the correct timing to make Kagome choke on her tea.

Coughing for a moment, Kagome managed to choke out, "I am not sure what you mean."

"I am certain that you do." He responded, his eyes held a soft glimmer as he seemed to slip into memory. "You are not the only one that has communicated with the Other Folk."

"The...Other Folk?" Kagome asked, relieved that her questioning seemed to have ended as Qualtrough assumed his storytelling posture.

"Kagome did I ever tell you the story of how I met my darlin' Vevila?" He asked as he turned to face the portrait of his wife that was the only ornament in the whole small cottage. When Kagome shook her head to tell him she had not heard the tale, he told her, "Then I must tell you the tale. But I must warn you that it is a long one, so you'd best be makin' yourself at home."

Kagome took his advice and removed her bonnet, and also loosened and untied her boots to make herself more comfortable. Seeing that his audience was ready, Old Qualtrough cleared his throat and began.

"Back when I was still living in the Old Country," he began, as most of his tales took place back in Ireland, "I was working as a fisherman, and a fine fisherman I was, and one evening I happened to be enjoying a bit of drink, not too much mind you, and chattin' with the other gents when some, well best not be talkin' like that in front of a lady, a stranger then tells me that I am talking rubbish!"

His eyebrows were raised as if it were a shock that someone would accuse him of embellishing his tales. Kagome hid a smile behind her teacup and allowed him to continue. "Now he be doubtin' my ability to sail, you see, and I was having none of that, so when he challenged me to sail to Talamh an Eisc, I knew I most certainly could, though I not be exactly sure where the place was. So I accept the challenge. Then he says to me 'you'd best be bringing back the Blessed Bell to prove it.' Well no problem, thought I, for if I was going all that way I had best be bringing myself back a souvenir."

Qualtrough became animated as he told his tale, his eyes miming the expression of one lost at sea, "For days and weeks I sailed through the thick, but I just kept my course, you see, and sure enough out of the mist rose a small bit of land. As I neared the shore I noticed an old woman sitting by the rocks. I beached my boat and went to ask her what land I had reached. With her yellow shall wrapped tight around her, she tells me that I had reached Talamh an Eisc. Relieved I was to have finally reached the shores, for I was missin' my homeland and dying for some whisky, so I ask the old woman where I might find the Blessed Bell. She tells me up in the large church in the village on the hill I'll be finding the Blessed Bell."

"As I start headin' up the hill, I remember I need to thank the old woman, but sure as I look back, the old woman had vanished. Thinking I was just a bit weary from the sea voyage, I continue up the hill, and what do I see when I get there but a huge party. A party the size of which I had never seen! And there sitting on a rock just outside the church is an old woman, but this one was wearing a green shawl. The old woman tells me that it is a wedding for the daughter of the wealthiest man in the village." Qualtrough's smile turned wistful and his eyes distant as he remembers this part of the story. "When I saw the bride, she was sure the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Eyes blue like the sea, with golden hair spun from the sun." He paused a moment, seemingly to enjoy the memory, before he continued, "And she was crying, weeping more like, so I ask the old woman why she weeps. The old woman pointed towards a grotesque figure standing in the crowd and tells me that is her husband, a shaman who lifted a curse off the village in exchange for the daughter's hand in marriage. Now, though I felt mighty bad for the girl, I felt I had best be leavin' these folk to their own affairs and I had some business of my own, so I ask the old woman where I might find the Blessed Bell."

Old Qualtrough laughed a hearty laugh as he recalled his surprise. "And it turns out the maid, who was named Vevila for her beautiful voice, was the Blessed Bell. I couldn't believe it, but when I turned to tell the old woman to tell me the truth, she was gone! So I joined in the celebrations, for what else could I do until I could come up with a plan, until I noticed that the bride sat in a corner off to herself, crying, while the rest of the village carried on. I went over to her and asked her if she truly was Vevila. With tears in her voice she tells me that she is, and that she is the unhappiest girl in the world."

"Now I found myself in a dilemma, you see, for as a simple fisherman I was not much for causing trouble. But now there was a lady in trouble, and my honour and ship rested on her travelling with me to the Isle, so what choice did I have but to steal her away? So away we ran and ran while everyone was busy feastin' at the hall. And just when I think we are safe and away, who appears at the shoreline on a great brown horse but the Shaman. Cor, did he look mighty angry that I was stealing his bride. Vevila was terrified and tells me he would kill me to get her back, so I do about the only thing I could do, which was shove the boat in the water and pray to Mannanan, the god of the sea, that he gets us back to the Isle with speed."

"We sail for days, but that's how long it took me to reach Talamh an Eisc, so I think nothing of it or the thick fog around us. We happened upon a black shore I had not seen on my voyage over, so fearin' the ocean had pushed us off course, as it is might to do, I brought us ashore near some rocks. On one of the rocks sat an old woman, looking oddly like the other two, but this one had a blue shawl. She tells me that I have been blown to the Black Isle and the Shaman is waiting for me to arrive, so I had best be pushing my boat out and off. I could not believe that it was so, but she told me that the Shaman could control the winds themselves and he directed me here to reclaim Vevila."

"Even as the old woman told me this, an enormous feather began to descend from the sky, bent in shape like the bow of a boat. And who should be riding on the feather but the Shaman, with a large fan open and sweeping in the same motion as the powerful wind that had risen. The wind blew so hard it nearly blew me off the rocks into the merciless crush of the ocean. I looked over to see how the old woman was fairing, but she had disappeared again. I cast about the shore for a weapon to defend myself with, but I came upon nothing but my own two fists and the rocks of the shore."

Kagome was leaned forward in her seat, her head resting in the palms of her hands as she listened with rapt attention. Old Qualtrough took a sip of his tea and cleared his throat before he continued. "For a moment I thought all was lost. Then Vevila, from her place in the boat where she was waiting for me, began to sing a beautiful lullabye. It was in a language I had never heard, so it had no effect on me, but the Shaman's head began to droop on the feather before he fell into a deep sleep. Using one of the rocks on the shore, I knocked him off the feather and then using some rope from the ship, we tied him up and dropped him into the sea."

Kagome must have looked horrified, as Old Qualtrough quickly explained, "If we had let him go, he would have only haunted Vevila to the end of her days. This was the only way of securing her freedom. However, after we set sail again for the Isle, I noticed she was crying. When I asked her why she was so sad, she only pointing to her open mouth but could say no more. The Shaman had stolen the wind from her voice right before he fell asleep in an attempt to silence her and she still could not get it back."

"She wept nightly as we sailed towards our destination, and I was desperate for a cure for her silence. At the first temperate shore I stopped, with hopes of finding a remedy somewhere for this terrible deed. On the shore of the island I met an old woman, this one wearing a purple shawl. Before I could even call out to greet her, she called to me by name and tells me she has been waiting for me. She orders me to carry Vevila up to her cottage where she will cure the poor girl."

"The old woman picked some Kingsfoil and prepared a draught. Vevila drank it for 3 days and there was no improvement. The only thing that changed was my feelings for the girl, for I was certain I had fallen in love with her beauty and her good nature. At sunrise on the fourth day, Vevila finally spoke again! Cor, there aren't any words in any language to tell of that moment." Qualtrough grinned brightly, his face instantly losing ten years of age in his expression of happiness. "I asked the old woman what I could do to thank her, and all she told me was that when I happened upon on old woman selling herbs by the road side back in my village, that I should buy a cure from her instead of cursing her."

"Curious about the strange demand, but too thankful to the woman to bother her with more questions, I agreed and Vevila and I set off home. Now I was getting worried about having to see the stranger who had sent me on this journey, for I had agreed to hand over the Blessed Bell before I knew it was a woman that I would fall in love with. When I told Vevila of her fate, she told me that she would not love that man, for she had already chosen to love me, but a man without honour has nothing and so we must go and confront the stranger."

"When we returned to the shores of my homeland, I was far from joyous, for I knew I would have to give up my darling to a stranger. As Vevila and I walked the path to the pub where I met the stranger, I saw an old woman by the side of the road selling cures. At first I thought she was the healer from that had saved Vevila, but then I saw she was wearing a patchwork shawl and knew she was a stranger. When she called me over to buy a cure I nearly ignored her until Vevila reminded me of my promise. So I gave the old woman the last bit of my coin, for it had been a long time since I had been able to fish to earn any, I bought one of the cures and handed it to Vevila, so she may have something to remember me by if things were to go badly."

"The stranger was waiting for me in the tavern when I arrived, and he stood up to greet me as I entered. When he asked for proof of my journey, Vevila stepped forward and I explained that she was the Blessed Bell. To further prove our claim, she sang him a beautiful, heart wrenching song. It was a song written about how she would feel if we were to be separated. I knew then that I could not leave her, so I lunged at the man and told him that to claim her, he would have to fight me for her."

Qualtrough laughed when he remembered that and confessed to Kagome, "I, perhaps, had a bit of the Irish temper. The stranger just stepped away and proposed that instead of a fight, that if I were to have something to exchange for Vevila, then I could keep her, along with my honour and my ship. What he really wanted, he told me, was some Sea Poppy to grow in his garden. Well, I had no idea where one went to collect some Sea Poppy and was sure I had good as lost my Vevila. I was turnin' to leave when she asks if the stranger might accept some herb in exchange instead. When she hands him the pouch I had bought from the old woman, he poured out its contents to see if it would make a good trade. And what should pour out into his hands but Sea Poppies!"

Qualtrough broke out into an incredulous laugh that Kagome couldn't help but join in with. "Sea Poppies! Cor Blimey, my eyeballs just about left my skull when I saw that. So in the end we agreed on a deal and he took the Poppies and I kept my Vevila, and that is how I ended up with my beloved wife."

Kagome laughed one more time out of appreciation for the tale. "That was quite the story, Mr. Qualtrough." Kagome grinned brightly, feeling better than she had in weeks.

"Do you see my point? At the time I did not think much of the old woman on the shores, for I was too busy being thankful for my good fortune than to worry about its source, but now I know it must have been someone from the Other World looking out for me." Old Qualtrough was leaning against the table to get close to Kagome, his face aggressive and tense, "how else could that have occurred the way that it did?"

He took a hold of one of Kagome's hands with both of his own. "Kagome, darling, you have a gift. One that I noticed in you many years ago, but I waited all this time to see if it would develop." He patted her hand and smiled gently. "Your father, he had it too. Always a few too many people survived the winters, a man too injured would return from your house miraculously cured. But he was a doctor, and he came from the city with those skills, so nobody asked any questions."

"Now you, my dear," he said as he stood slowly from his seat, patting her on the head as he walked passed to pick up the kettle and get more hot water. "You are facing a problem that he never had to. But please Kagome, even with what the townspeople might be whispering, do not doubt that you are a good girl and well all know you're doing the best you can for us."

Kagome put her head in her hands as the weight of what was happening finally seemed to sink in. She was a social outcast at 17, and it would last until these strange things stopped happening, if they ever did. And she had no way to explain it, and no one would understand.

She wept into her hands until she felt a weight on the back of her head, smoothing down her hair. Qualtrough smiled an understanding smile at her as he ran his hand down her hair one more time before easing into his seat opposite her.

"You cannot ignore these gifts, Kagome." He warned, his mouth pressed into a straight line as he affected a serious expression that was unusual for him. "For as much as you can do good deeds with them, there is also the potential for harm. Also remember that not every creature of the Other World is a good one and many will seek to destroy one such as you."

"Why...would they want to destroy me?" Kagome asked, her voice a mere whisper.

"They want to destroy you because you could destroy them." Qualtrough answered. Before Kagome could ask any further questions, the old man quickly changed topics. "Now, what did the Raven tell you?"

Kagome eyed him wearily for a moment before sighing and giving in to his penetrating stare. "He told me there would be a death in the village."

Qualtrough did not seem perturbed by this news. "Ravens are often the messengers for death," he informed her, looking thoughtful. "Did he mention any other details?"

"No," Kagome admitted ruefully, "he flew off before answering anything besides the fact that it wasn't me."

Qualtrough smiled at her. "Well, that's something to be thankful for isn't it." His eyes widened to an impossibly huge size beneath his bushy brow as he leaned forward to remind her. "We must keep our eyes open for any unusual activity in the village. The culprit could be anyone."

Kagome sighed and slumped in her chair. "Well then all you have to do is keep your eye on me. All these strange things seem to somehow be my fault."

"I am always keeping an eye on you." He declared, and in the same serious voice he said, "and if you ever need assistance, you know my door is always open to you."

"Thank you." Kagome said sincerely, for although she hoped the matter would resolve soon, she knew she was going to need as many friends as she could get.

Looking out the small window, Kagome noticed that it had grown quite dark and that it was time for her to leave. When she expressed as much to Old Qualtrough, he nodded his agreement. "I'm afraid this Archie has kept you quite late, Kagome." He shook his head ruefully. "I suppose I spent too much time telling stories. When you get to my age, they are all you have left."

"I love your stories." Kagome said with a smile, "and I would be delighted to hear them any time. Unfortunately my mother does not know where I am and I feel I should be getting home to avoid her having to worry. Perhaps I will come and visit another time?"

"Yes, of course," He responded, though his vigour was much diminished from the effort it had taken to tell the story. "Please return when you can. I feel we have much more to discuss."

Noticing his fatigue, Kagome offered, "Do you need me to assist you with retiring to your bed?"

Standing slowly, Qualtrough declined her office with a shake of his head. "No, no. I might move slow, but I'm still movin'. Get on with you, Kagome. These old bones can't hold me up forever."

Donning her outdoor clothes quickly, Kagome bid him a final farewell before exiting the warmth of his home to the cold of the outdoors


	12. Chapter 12

_You're a bedtime story  
The one that keeps the curtain closed  
And I hope you're waiting for me  
Cause I can't make it on my own._

* * *

Kagome had no sooner closed the door to the small cottage when a familiar voice called to her from the side of Qualtrough's porch.

"Good Evening, Kagome." The Reverend greeted with a friendly smile as he stood from his seat on Qualtrough's rocking chair.

Blinking in surprise at the unexpected visitor, it took Kagome a moment to gather her wits before she could respond. "Oh, good evening Reverend Miroku." She smiled at him as she adjusted the bonnet on her head to make it more secure for the walk home. "If you're here to visit Old Qualtrough, I'm afraid he's just retired to bed. Perhaps it would be better if you visited tomorrow."

"Actually, Kagome, I have been waiting here to speak with you." The Reverend responded, neatly falling in step with her as she set off towards home.

"Waiting to speak with me?" Kagome repeated with surprise, "What did you want to speak with me about?"

The Reverend paused for a moment and looked at her very seriously. "We must discuss all the events that have been happening at the village since you saved your brother's life."

Kagome was surprised by the sudden change in his demeanour and felt defensive at his aggressive stance. "Who told you about that?" She questioned breathlessly before sighing, resigned that it could have been anyone in the village. "Listen, I appreciate your concern but all these events have just been...coincidences. The village was due for a bit of luck and it seems that luck has finally befallen it."

The Reverend's expression was sceptical when he expressed his opinion to her. "And how can you account for the strange sensations you have been experiencing? Is it a coincidence that you save Souta and then suddenly have a new awareness of the world around you, and it is suddenly willing to communicate with you?"

Kagome frowned at his direct questioning before casting a glance around the vacant village, her eyes searching for the inevitable eavesdroppers. She was tired of being polite and tiptoeing about the situation, so Kagome decided it was time that she addresses her concerns with a man who seemed to know the answers. "What exactly do you want me to say to you? I do not know what to make of these things that are happening and they are both wonderful and frightening. I do not understand how something that seems so right to me could be against God as some people are suggesting. You seem to have experienced the same energy and you are one of his closest servants! There simply cannot be anything unholy about what I am feeling if you are feeling it as well!"

"Oh, Kagome, I have not come to accuse you of any unholy evil-doing." The Reverend placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, his smile becoming gentle when he understood her resistance. "You are correct when you say that I have also experienced much of what you are currently undergoing, though I must admit to a much lesser degree. For someone so inexperienced, you are adapting to your power very quickly. It is quite admirable."

"Um...thank you..." Kagome asked unsteadily, unsure what direction this conversation was going to go now that the Reverend had assuaged her fears of rebuke. She had been certain that the Reverend would have listened to the rumours and thought the worst of her, but she was obviously overestimating the weight of the rumours on more educated minds.

"I told you before that these powers are a blessing. That we who have been gifted with these powers have a calling to use them for a good cause." The Reverend's voice was calm and quiet as he imparted his wisdom, his voice almost lost in the hush that had fallen in the chilly winter night. "When I was still in England, I was confused by my strong compulsion to come here to the New World. Now I know I was being called here, at least in part, to meet you and assist you. Together we will be able to perform great acts."

Kagome stepped away from him at the mention of performing more actions using her power. "I have no interest in performing further actions, Reverend." She told him timidly, "Rather I would like to lay low and stay quiet until the situation return to normal."

"That is understandable, given the hostility you have been receiving in town," the Reverend conceded, but the determined glint never left his eye as he continued, "however, I feel you would be making a mistake to not further explore your gifts. There is much I could teach you, as well as much you could discover on your own, but you need to embrace your talents and not attempt to stifle them or hide them away. Remember, they are a gift from God."

"If they are a gift from God, then why did he only give them to me now?" Kagome asked, her patience thinned to the point of snapping, the question she had wanted to ask finally rising to her lips. Her breathing became laboured and her hands balled into fists. "The villagers are right to question me! Why did I not save all those children who were sick? Those other children who fell in the river! There are so many I could have saved if only I had felt this power sooner! Why did they all have to die when they could have so easily lived?"

The Reverend placed a calming hand on Kagome's arm, telling her to relax. When her breathing returned to a normal pace, the Reverend responded to her questions. "I do not know why your power has not risen until this moment. There were hints of it before, such as the barrier you constructed against the snow at Two Caves. Perhaps you have been suppressing it, or perhaps you did not have these powers until the Lord thought they were needed. The Lord works in mysterious ways, Kagome, and I'm afraid that as a humble servant, I cannot always hope to explain them."

Kagome snorted, his response exactly the divergent one that she would expect from a Reverend. When she opened her mouth to give a scathing response the Reverend interrupted her. "As interesting as this conversation is, I'm afraid I did not wait for you to have a debate about the workings of the Lord." Reverend Miroku regained his friendly demeanour and resumed the walk to Kagome's home. "I came to discuss with you the warning of the Raven. Now before you can dismiss me, allow me to express to you that I am fearful for your safety and I would like to know if the Raven's message was a message of death for you."

Still fearful of admitting that she had spoken to a Raven, for she was unwilling to even admit the reality to herself, Kagome felt the earnestness of Reverend Miroku's offer of aid and she decided to tell him the message she had been given. "The Raven told me there would be a death in the village. It gave no more details than the fact that it would not be my own."

"Not your death?" The Reverend asked to confirm. When Kagome nodded, he breathed a sigh of relief. "I am glad to hear that. When I saw the Death Messenger I had feared the worst."

"'The worst' is still going to befall someone, Reverend." Kagome reminded, looking out into the pitch black of the winter night as if she could spot the danger. "I only wish there was something more I could do..."

They had reached the path that led up to Kagome's home when the Reverend paused and turned towards Kagome. He slowly reached down and took hold of both her hands gently with his own. Kagome, who had never experienced such an intimate gesture with a young man, went rigid with surprise and her hands remained limp in his grasp.

"Kagome, I was serious about my feeling that I have been sent to protect you." The Reverend pulled on her hands slightly to draw her closer to him. "I am aware that you are concerned about your future here in the village, particularly your ability to marry, and that this is perhaps what is preventing you from training to use your powers."

"Reverend, please." Kagome attempted to pull her hands free, embarrassed by his clear assessment of her situation.

"This is why I would like to propose that you marry me." Reverend Miroku offered with his expression serious as he gazed down into her eyes. Kagome went still with shock at his proposal, her eyes wide as saucers as she stared at him.

"Marry...you?" Kagome stuttered in response, her mind struggling to keep up with this unexpected turn of events. The suggestion made something insider her heart constrict, the energy building up softly beneath her skin to form a protective barrier to the idea. She felt a strong pull towards the woods for just a moment before she shook her head and returned to the situation at hand. "But...what about Sango? I thought you were in love with her..."

"You are very astute for detecting my feelings for Miss Adachi." Reverend Miroku responded, his smile calm and unperturbed by her observation. "While I will admit to these feelings, I am devoted to the duty I have been given as your protector, and I will take every measure required to see that you are safe and able to continue training."

Seeing that Kagome was unmoved, he continued to make his case. "You are a very practical woman, Kagome, so certainly you would be able to see the advantages of such a match. Since I am already aware of your power, you can continue to develop your skills in the privacy of our home. As a Reverend I am assured a steady income and a well kept house. I believe myself to be of an agreeable nature and I will certainly treat you and our children with the utmost regard."

"Our...children...?" Kagome was certain she would have staggered away from him in her shock if she could only get her hands freed from his. The pull from the woods was getting stronger and a pressure had begun to build around her until she felt she could barely breathe.

Over Reverend Miroku's shoulder she caught a glimpse of silver standing at the edge of the forest, just barely visible by the light of the moon. Kagome stared at it, entranced, feeling as if she should run towards it. She felt its alluring call, as it sang to her heart a hymn of protection and safety.

The Reverend's voice broke her reverie, though she kept one eye on the Silver in the forest. "Yes, I would expect for us to raise a family as a normal married couple would."

"Reverend Miroku...I just..." Kagome began, trying to formulate her decline of his offer. While she couldn't argue with is logic, and he would make an excellent companion, all of her being rebelled against her agreement. Not only would she be betraying her very best friend, but she could not ignore the feeling that this was not the right course for her.

Before she could finish her response, the door to their home swung open to reveal Kohaku and Souta standing in the doorway. It took only one look at Kohaku's enraged face for Kagome to know that he had seen everything, though the fact that their hands still remained connected left little to the imagination. He shoved between them, nearly knocking Kagome over with his force, before he began to sprint home.

"Kohaku!" she called after him but it was to no effect, for the boy did not slow down or check his pace. She considered running after him or trying to beat him to Sango's to get there first and explain what had happened, but before she could take a step she was halted by the Reverend.

"Is that that Will-'O-the-Wisp that Sango mentioned seeing near you before?" The Reverend steered her towards the woods where the Silver being still remained. Kagome took a staggering step towards it, feeling its call stronger than she could remember feeling it before. Now that she could think clearly, it was the familiar call of the Presence, but it was stronger and more desperate than she had ever felt it before.

"Yes." She said breathlessly, taking another step.

The Reverend moved quickly and placed himself between her and the shining silver. "Kagome, you know as well as I do that the Will-'O-The-Wisp is not a friendly creature and it will lead you to danger. You are now more sensitive to these types of tricks and this is why you will require my protection."

"Reverend Miroku, I admit I do not know what that is, but I can assure you it doesn't mean me any harm." Kagome responded, feeling oddly offended that he would say such a thing about a being that had been her companion for years.

"You cannot afford to be so naive!" He huffed in exasperation before managing to school his expression back into a calm smile. "There are many uses one could have for someone with as strong a power as you and you need to be safe."

"I cannot accept this safety at the expense of my dear friends' happiness." Kagome responded, feeling unsure where her confidence was coming from, but she felt confident just the same. "And I know it would make both you and Sango miserable to be parted from one another."

When the Reverend opened his mouth to protest, Kagome raised a hand to silence him. "I do appreciate your offer, and it is certainly a fine example of what a good man you are that you are willing to give up your own happiness for your duty. I believe you will make a great husband for Sango, and I am very happy that my friend will have you to be with her."

Though the Reverend attempted to feign indignation at her refusal, Kagome could see the relief and happiness in his eyes at her rejection. "Please, Reverend Miroku. Go to the Adachi residence and see if you can patch your relationship up with Sango. Kohaku will likely have told her already about this situation and you need to hurry before she has time to..."

Kagome suddenly choked on her words, the air being stolen from her lungs as if she had just been hit in the stomach with a sack of flour. She doubled over, grabbing onto The Reverend for some balance, but he too had been bowled over by the oppressive force.

The entire night seemed to fill with sudden malice, with the sensation of joyfully causing destruction, and it wrapped around Kagome's sensitive heart and squeezed. Her breaths came out in wheezes and she gave up and fell to her knees, wrapping her arms around herself for some comfort against the onslaught of anger and evil.

She could hear a drumbeat in her head, the loud pounding seeming to resonate within her own skull. Her power, which had been humming beneath her skin, rose to meet this surge of malice and was barely able to wrestle down the feelings due to the sheer magnitude of the force.

Sounds were finally able to penetrate through the haze of her mind, though she wasn't thankful for the change. The cold air echoed the loud screams of terror from men and a horrible screech that was a mix of a bear's growl and a woman's scream. The sounds shook Kagome, and combined with the negative energy that had accumulated around her, tears begin to pour down her face as Kagome was overwhelmed and could do nothing but weep.


	13. Chapter 13

_You're the night, Lilah  
A little girl lost in the woods  
You're a folktale  
The unexplainable_

* * *

When the pounding in her ears finally lessened, Kagome came back to herself kneeling in the snow just before the stairs to her home. She blinked her watery eyes and cast about for an explanation of the overwhelming pain but found nothing. The Reverend seemed to be similarly piecing himself back together as he placed a hand down in to the snow to push himself up.

"...Kagome?" Kagome turned to fix her gaze on her mother's concerned face. Souta stood beside her, shifting uneasily as if uncertain what was going on. "What is the matter? I heard your screaming."

Kagome paused, searching about the silent night again for an explanation. Her mother continued to speak but her words were muffled and distant as Kagome filtered sensation through her conciousness. The redness that had blinded her vision was still visible, and it was moving away from the village. What had it been? What was it doing here?

The Reverend drew up beside her. "I fear that the Raven's predictions may have already come true." His mouth was set in a grim line as he turned towards her. "Whatever that was, it most certainly cannot have been good."

"I...can still see it." Kagome confessed to him and he turned, appearing startled.

"Can still see what?" Reverend Miroku turned his head with urgency in each direction, attempting to discern what she could perceive.

"The Red." Kagome stated simply, then flushed when she remembered her mother and brother were there watching them, likely thinking they had gone mad. She felt urgency grab hold of her heart so she did not pause to explain and hoped they would be willing to hear her out when she came back. "It is leaving the village, through the forest. Do you think it killed a villager?"

"I think we need to determine the cause. Which way is it going Kagome? Can you lead us there?" The Reverend came close to her, pressuring her to volunteer the information.

Without responding, Kagome began moving in a diagonal direction behind her house. As she made move to pass her family, her brother stopped her with his hand. "Wait a moment!" He exclaimed and then dashed in to the house. He returned a moment later with his bow and a small quiver of arrows. He slung the arrows over his shoulder and clutched the bow in his hand, knuckles turning white. "This sounds dangerous. You shouldn't go unarmed. I'm coming with you."

Kagome looked over at her mother with surprise. Her heart warmed at the sight of her brother's eager face, but she knew he could not come. "Souta," she said gently, leaning to place a hand on his shoulder, "If there is something dangerous out there, I need you here to protect Mama and the house."

Her bother seemed to consider his options to protect his mother or sister. The debate was still present on his face when Kagome took the decision from him. Gently she pried the bow from his fingers, and he offered little resistance as she slid the quiver from his shoulder.

"How about I will take these so I'll be armed and you take Mama back in to the house and get ready in case we need to bring someone back to you." She looked at her mother over her head, not wanting to panic her but also expecting the worst.

"Alright, but we'll be waiting up for you!" His voice shook a little bit and it grounded Kagome enough to remind her that this could be dangerous and it could be the last time she saw her little brother. Reaching down she gave him a big hug, then wordlessly moved to her mother.

Her mother's embrace was strong and almost made her want to tell the Reverend to go find the source of the disturbance himself. "I love you. Stay safe." Her mother whispered and then stepped back, allowing Souta to take her in to the house.

Moving from his place of watching the family exchange, Reverend Miroku moved back to her side. "Which direction did you say?"

"It seems to be following the riverbank from within the forest." Kagome explained as she began leading him through the snow between the backs of the houses in the village and the skirt of the woods.

"I suspect the incident which caused our...discomfort must have been quite close." The Reverend reasoned, "This creature must not have much of an aura if I can no longer see it after such a short period of time."

Kagome stopped suddenly in her tracks ahead of him, causing Reverend Miroku to bump in to her back. "Kagome?" He inquired, leaning to look around her.

"Red." She responded quietly and they both looked on to the scene of carnage in front of them. Blood stained the snow in a distant radius around a series of what appeared to be human remains. They were just at the edge of the forest, where long shadows covered the exact extent of the scene.

"Good Lord!" The Reverend exclaimed as he moved from her side to better examine the scene.

Kagome knelt down beside one of the heads in the snow and looked at the face, wanted to identify the body without having to touch anything. "Daisaku..." she trailed off, eyes filling with tears. She should have done something more to stop this tragedy! Daisaku was a young man with a promising life ahead of him and now...

"I believe I also recognize this man as Roderick." Reverend Miroku told her gently from his position in the woods. " There are also the remains of a third man who I don't recognize. And a trail of blood leading towards the river..."

Kagome stood from her kneeling position and walked carefully around the scene to join Miroku at his side staring at the trail.

He turned to her and said, "the situation is more dangerous than I think we realised Kagome. Perhaps we should gather a group of men before pursuing the culprit. I could not live with myself if something were to happen to you."

Kagome stood silent for a minute, feeling with her senses. The Red colour she could see in her mind was fading with distance as it covered incredible ground. It is unlikely they would catch it if they did not hurry.

"There isn't time." She told him in a hushed whisper. "If we delay we will lose the culprit for sure."

"And just what culprit is that?" Reverend Miroku and Kagome both turned to see Sango standing there, dressed in a hastily thrown on cloak, hair tied loosely back as if for sleeping.

Kagome and Miroku looked at each other, neither sure who to begin or where to start explaining.

In the end Kagome sighed and jumped in to the ring. "Sango, it is a long story and a long night, but there has been a tragedy..." Kagome and Miroku stepped aside and allowed her to see the carnage strewn in the snow. She gasped and covered her mouth with her hand in shock.

Staring for a moment before gathering herself, Sango turned to them . "And you know who killed these people? Where are they!" Her voice rose as she drew from beneath her cloak the long sword she had been working on in the smith's shop. She stood at the ready, prepared to engage. "We have no time to lose! What are we waiting for?"

The other two shared a look again before Kagome shrugged and Miroku sighed. "Well at least let me arm myself with something..." he hemmed as he searched about for a suitable weapon. He lifted from the ground a long smooth branch and hefted its weight, determining it to be an adequate club if necessary. "Better than nothing I suppose. "

The small travelling party moved in to the woods, following the shore of the river and the disconcerting trail of blood. Silence filled the night along with the cracking of snow with their footfalls. Awkwardness laced with fear hung heavily in the air around them as they trudged onwards through the night.

Reverend Miroku took a deep breath and then broke the silence by diving in to one of the matters at hand. "Dare I ask Ms Adachi, if you did not hear the disturbance, then what brought you out so late at night and thusly armed?"

Kagome sent him a wide-eyed look, disbelieving he would jump in to THAT matter now, when the situation was so dire.

Sango coughed and looked sheepish. "Kohaku had delivered to me news that...that...you were going to...well ..." She cleared her throat. "I received some upsetting news with regard to Kagome and I was going to pursue the truth and...it is not safe for a young woman to travel at night unarmed..."

The Reverend paused to extricate himself from a snake hole his foot had fallen in to in the dark. "Ah, yes I see. Very prudent of you." He cleared his throat. "There seems to have been a misunderstanding."

"Oh?" Sango voiced, her interest clear even as she appeared nonchalant.

"Shhhh." Kagome raised her hand in warning causing the group to stop.

Through the quiet a soft whimper could be heard up ahead. Cautiously the group proceeded forward, wincing with every loud crunch in the snow.

In the dark, a figure laying against a tree became increasingly clear. Kagome almost screamed when she could recognize him. "Hojo!" She rushed forward, helping to support him back against the tree. There was blood everywhere, most notably coming from his abdomen. Kagome sought around wildly for something to staunch the flow. Pulling off her cloak she rumpled it in to a ball and applied it with pressure to the wound.

Hojo's head lolled loosely towards her. "Ka...Kagome...?" He trailed off, opening his eyes to look at her before closing them again. "Are you an angel to come to take me to the afterlife?"

Kagome ignored his statement and gently asked "Hojo, what happened? Who did this?"

He let out a gusty sigh that almost sounded amused. "Can you believe a woman? But she was no woman! A woman who could become a bear!" He shook his head. "Lord, how she had us all captive!"

Miroku leaned against his club to question him further. "A woman who could become a bear?" he turned to Sango and whispered "surely he must be delirious..."

Kagome touched his forehead to see if he was fevered and it felt dangerously cool. From the contact she received a flash in her mind of a particular captivating small woman flashing in and out of her bear form while attacking Daisaku.

"You followed Daisaku out of the house to see where he was going. You saw he was meeting Bernadette by the woods. You were too far away when the attack started and then she saw that you saw her attack..." Kagome intoned in a trance.

"And I am always so careful never to leave witnesses..." A woman's voice interrupted and the group looked up, started to see Bernadette standing there, totally naked. She towered over them from her position on the roots of an overturned tree. She looked at them each in turn, as if assessing how much of a risk they were to her.

She turned her attention to Kagome. "You should have minded your own business. You were kind to me so I was going to spare you while I consumed the rest of the village."

Smiling, she licked her teeth with the tip of her tongue, teasing a long canine. " No matter, more for me."

With that she lunged towards Kagome, her form transforming in to a bear shape as she leapt. It was so confusing and overwhelming a moment that Kagome could not move. She stood transfixed as the jaws of death came flying towards her.

Miroku raised his club and brought it down over the bear's back. She came crashing down in a heap mid-spring. Growling, the bear stood and directed its attention towards him. Lunging with jaws first, Miroku caught the jaw of the bear with his club, batting her face away. His attention directed forwards he missed the swing of her left paw that knocked him back and sent him flying in to a nearby tree. He landed with a sickening crunch and then laid still.

Sango screamed and drew her sword in a 2 handed hold. She rushed at the bear, her movement awkward from inexperience. The bear stood abruptly on 2 legs and stared her down during her charge. She caught the blade with both paws and used Sango's own momentum to send her tumbling down an embankment. The bear returned to all fours and was ready to pounce when an arrow whizzed in front of its face.

The bear turned with a scowl to look over its right shoulder where Kagome stood, notching her next arrow. "I don't want to hurt you Bernadette. You need to back down."

The bear repositioned itself so it was facing her head on. She transformed back in to her Human form. "I know you don't want to hurt me." She walked toward Kagome. "I can't control the bear! It isn't my fault but I'm afraid."

Kagome's aim wavered at the look on Bernadette's tearful face. "I need you to stay where you are and we can talk about it." Kagome tried to sound authoritative but her hands were shaking and the arrow tip wavered from where she had it trained on the woman's heart. Somehow it was much easier to shoot a bear than a human woman.

"Oh, Kagome." Bernadette sang, her voice changing from a pleading pitch to a mocking one. "That soft heart of yours is going to taste delicious." She suddenly changed back in to a bear and lunged towards Kagome.

The leap was aimed true but was met with only air as Kagome was scooped up and moved deftly from her position to high in a tree in a flash of silver.

Kagome stared in shock from her position enwrapped in the iron grip of her saviour. Silver air floated above his head, almost obscuring two twitching animal ears. His face was turned to his adversary but from her position cradled in his arms Kagome could see the strong line of his jaw. It was almost unbelievably warm in his tight hold on her.

"You bitch!" He shouted down at the bear. "I told you to leave Kagome alone."

Kagome started with shock. She felt like he whole brain was starting to shut down as there was too much information to process.

"Inuyasha," Bernadette laughed, "It isn't my fault! These pesky humans were interfering in my business! What am I to do? Not eat!"

"I let you stay in the village because you said that you would leave Kagome alone!" He argued. "Your taste was only for men!"

"Have you smelled her though?" Bernadette refocused her gaze from the man to Kagome. "I can't even imagine how she will taste."

"That's it!" The man roared, the sound growling in Kagome's ears from her position against his chest. He set her down against the trunk of the tree on the branch they were on and leapt down on to the forest floor.

"Fighting for a pathetic human? " Bernadette adjusted her position to face him squarely. "My, how your isolation here has affected you. If you hadn't offended me so, I would have offered for you to be with a real demon." With that she transformed back in to a bear. "But as it stands, I'll have to kill you instead."

With that the two foes circled each other, weighing out their options. Kagome could only watch in awe as the 2 beings fought, the movements dizzying in their speed and intensity. Mistakenly she looked down to see how high up she was and let out a squeak of fear when she realised how high up she was, scrambling back to clutch at the tree.

The small sound was enough to distract Inuyasha for a critical movement and Bernadette made her move, slashing at his legs to bring him to the ground. The bear was about to pounce on him when an arrow struck her shoulder.

Growling she moved her attention from Inuyasha to the woman in the tree, kneeling with her bow pointed again. "Human, " she warned, "as if your pathetic arrow would stop me. Inuyasha has been a thorn in my side for too long. When I am done with him I will get up there and devour you."

The bear opened its jaw to lunge and Kagome felt her skin start to burn with energy. Something told her to shoot again. She raised her bow and arrow and watched as they flamed a bright pink, illuminating her position on the tree. The bear looked up to see the cause of the light but it was already too late. The arrow hit true between the bear's eyes, causing it to explode into shiny pink sparkles.

The silence afterwards was deafening. Kagome slumped back against the tree trunk. Staring incredulously at her hands, which still held a faint glow, she focused on trying to slow her breathing down and not panic.

She looked up when the tree branch shook. There crouched the most handsome creature she had ever seen, his gold eyes pierced hers as they stared at each other, no words passing between them.

He moved as if in a trance towards her, his hand outstretched. Gently his fingers traced a bruise forming on the side of her face, then pushed some errant strands that had fallen from behind her ear.

At the contact her energy flare to life, but instead of burning it was a gentle warmth. When she felt his energy press back , she gasped, recognizing the familiar warmth of The Presence . "It's you!"

A rustle from the ground broke the moment, as Sango appeared to be picking herself up in the snow and checking herself for injuries. Kagome was distracted and when she looked back at the man he appeared to be moving to flee.

She caught his hand that still rested by her face. "Who are you?"

"If you ever need me, I am in the forest." He told her, his serious golden eyes boring in to her own. Without further word, he leapt from branch to branch until his distinct shade of silver was gone.

Kagome sat back against the branch, her heart hammering. Imagine! The Presence was real! She clutched her hand to her chest in disbelief, her shaking fingers still holding some of his warmth.

"Kagome!" A voice called down from below. Sango was beneath the tree she was still sitting in, barely supporting a still unconscious Miroku. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm...fine." Kagome checked herself and ensured she suffered no physical damage, although the mental rigours of the evening were certainly enough to fatigue.

"Hang on, I'll...climb down." Kagome turned her face skyward and muttered a small prayer before beginning the slow descent to her friends. By the time she hopped to the forest floor Miroku was already coming around.

The three of them stared at each other, not really certain what to say or what to do. Kagome acted first, rushing forward to fold both of them in to a gentle hug.

The other two were quick to respond and they silently held each other for a few moments, trying to find strength. They parted and took in the strange scene again, the snow all melted in the radius of Kagome's energy blast.

"Oh my Lord." Sango commented, walking around the periphery. "Did...you know you could do that?"

"Good heavens no!" Kagome clutched her hands to her chest again. "I was just so afraid and I knew I needed to do something or Inuyasha would..."

"Inuyasha?" questioned Miroku, catching on quickly that something unusual had happened while he had been unconscious. "Who is that?"

Kagome opened her mouth to answer and then closed it again. There was a wolf call from the woods nearby. "Why don't we get back to the village and then I'll tell you."

The other 2 nodded and began to pick their way back to the river's edge to make the journey home. They came to where they had left Hojo, only to find his body lifeless. Miroku paused to say a quick prayer but they knew they could not afford the energy to carry him back. As it was it took both Kagome and Sango to support him for the journey.

The trek back to the village seemed to take twice as long as the way there, with frequent rests for the girls along the way. When the glow of the village became visible on the horizon, the group almost let out a cheer of joy. As they approached the glow seemed bright than they would have expected for the middle of the night.

At the forest edge they were met by nearly the whole town, standing in a large grouping with various lanterns, torches, and weapons. Sango's father stood in the center, instructing the men. The group fell silent as they saw the small group appear from the skirt of the forest.

"Sango!" her father exclaimed, running towards her to gather her in to a hug. Sango met him half way, leaving Kagome and the Reverend to stand together. Kagome's mother and brother quickly came over and while Souta took the bow and arrows from Kagome, Kagome's mother wordlessly took Miroku's other side and they began a slow plod towards their house.

"Now, just where do you think you're going?" One of the villagers called at her. The group halted their steps and turned.

"Surely you cannot be serious!" Kagome's mother exclaimed. "If she were responsible for any of this, why would she come back? Why would she bring The Reverend and Sango back if there were any ground to your accusations."

"To make us trust her!" Someone else called. The dark made the villagers into a faceless enemy, one that Kagome was slowly realising was talking about her.

"What?" She whispered, her energy to yell or even be surprised sapped by the days adventures. "Surely, you can't think that I killed these people?"

The statement was met with an awkward silence. Those closest to the young girl looked down, ashamed but a voice from the back called "She's a witch! Even if she didn't do it, she brought this evil down upon us! The Lord is punishing us for harbouring her!"

"We have no choice, we must do what is right in the eyes of the Lord!" Shouted another.

"This devilry needs to stop today!" Called another, the crowd growing in momentum, its dark shadows growing closer to Kagome as the group started to converge. "Burn the witch!"

"We are all just upset and afraid." Miroku tried to call above the din, adding to the noise with Sango's father also calling for the crowd to quiet down.

It was no use, the mob had decided. Kagome's mother saw the tipping point and turned to her daughter in fear. "Run, Kagome. Run as far as you can."

Kagome stared at her in shock for a moment. Her mother's face held fear but not surprise. What on earth was happening in this village!

When she made no move, Miroku withdrew his arm and used it to give her a shove. "Now Kagome, it's your only chance."

Sango's father intercepted the most eager of the crowd and was slowing down the mob but there was not much time. Souta handed Kagome back the bow and arrows. "I love you sis! Run!"

Kagome scooped them up, took one last look at her family, and then sprinted in to the cover of darkness.

She ran blindly, the snow snapping beneath her feet as she dodge between tree trunks. She could hear men entering the forest, their combined noise nearly drowning out the pounding in her ears as she ran. Her lungs were burning and her legs were beginning to shake but she knew she could not slow down to catch her breath.

Black spots started to dance in her vision as she looked ahead to where she was going. Suddenly a flash of silver appeared in her path, and there he was, her saviour, standing right in front of her.

"Inuyasha!" She called breathlessly as she ran towards him. He gave a fanged smirk and opened his arms to her.

As she collapsed in to his waiting arms she heard him mutter, "You are just too much damn trouble."

She tipped her head up to reply, but before she could utter a phrase the darkness stole over her vision and she passed out.


	14. Chapter 14

_A lost bird caught mid-migration  
_ _Far away to a foreign land  
Offspring of a secret nation  
A new day has begun  
\- Feel it turn by Great Big Sea_

* * *

Kagome snuggled further in to the soft bed, the warmth chasing away the bad dream that she was having. Feeling there was another presence in the room, she groggily opened her eyes and peered blearily, sighing, "Mama, you won't believe the craziest dream I just had."

"What kind of crazy dream?" An unfamiliar childish voice replied, "I dream all the time and sometimes my dreams are just too crazy! Like this one time when I dreamt that Inuyasha and I..."

"Inuyasha?" Kagome interrupted, sitting up and suddenly feeling very much awake. She looked down at the bed she was laying it and it definitely was not hers. The pieced together patchwork blanket was keeping her warm, as was the cheery fire burning in the fireplace in the far side of the room. The walls of the house were stone with heavy glass windows that allowed the dim sunlight of the winter to filter through.

All in all it looked like a normal, albeit strangers house. The current occupant, however, was unlike anything Kagome had ever seen. A little boy with bushy orange hair, animal hands and feet, and a bushy tail sat on the bed post, jabbering on about whatever he had been talking about before she opened her eyes and her world flipped upside down.

"Who are you?" She interrupted again. The boy didn't seem to mind and steered his stream of conversation to introducing himself.

"I'm Shippo!" He replied cheerily, hopping off the bed post to walk across the comforter. "I live here! Inuyasha told me to watch over you while he was gone. Pfft and so far you have been so boring! All you did was sleep!"

He seated himself on her leg and the weight was surprisingly light. "It's usually so boring when he is gone but now you are here and we can play games!" He pulled a small spinning top out of his pocket. "Do you want to play with my top?"

Kagome started, looking incredulous for a second. "Uh, maybe later Shippo, I'm still feeling a bit...out of sorts."

"Spending time with Inuyasha will do that to you!" Shippo replied cheerily, "Oh! He told me to get you some food when you woke up! Are you hungry?"

Without waiting for her to answer he walked over to a black pot hanging over the stove. Grabbing the ladle he climbed the stones of the hearth before hanging over the edge and scooping some soup in to a waiting bowl. The bowl caused him more difficulty given his small size and when he tried to carry it over to her it spilled.

"Oh dear," She moved to stand up from the bed but the sudden movement after so much time made her woozy. On uncertain legs she made her way over to where Shippo was struggling with the bowl and picked it up with ease.

He looked embarrassed after having so much trouble with it, and Kagome couldn't help but feel her heart soften as he reminded her of Souta. She kindly gave him an excuse. "I didn't want to get soup in the bed, so I thought I would come over here and eat it at the table."

Shippo smiled, "Good idea! I can already tell you're a smart lady!" He waved her towards a small nook with a pair of stools and small table. "We just have a small table because we don't often sit down to eat."

"We?" Kagome inquired as she took a small sip of the soup. It wasn't the best thing she'd ever eaten, really just boiled meat, but she would take what she could get without complaint.

"Inuyasha lives here too! Like I said, he had some business to take care of with some fur traders so I'm not sure when he'll be back." Shippo spun his top on the table as he spoke, obviously not very interested in talking about Inuyasha, "until then you and I get to play all we want!"

"I'm Kagome, by the way." She introduced herself, uncertain if that was necessary.

"I already knew that!" Shippo replied, "we have seen you working in your home and collecting herbs. This house is not that far from your village."

As the events of yesterday were lurking beneath the surface of her composure, Kagome felt a stab of fear. "Not far, you say..." she trailed off, looking nervous. She had slept in the dress she had been wearing when...well when it all happened. She could see her shoes sitting by the door in the small one room cottage. If she had to run it wouldn't be too hard to get away.

She returned from her reverie by Shippo's small paw touching her hand "Don't worry, those villagers will never find you here." He nodded confidently, "I can make illusions so I have hidden this house from view. Trust me, no one will be able to find you here. I'll look after you, Kagome!"

Seeing the earnestness in his sweet face, Kagome rubbed his head affectionately. "Thank you, Shippo."

He looked at her in awe after such a small gesture and it made Kagome's heart clench. "Is Inuyasha your...dad?" Kagome asked, confused what such a small boy was doing here by himself.

"No! Ew, No!" Shippo exclaimed, wrinkling his nose up. "My parents are dead. They were murdered awhile ago. I'm actually older than Inuyasha, I just age very slowly." He nodded solemnly and then went back to spinning his top.

For awhile the only sound in the house was the spinning of his top while Kagome sipped her soup. Her skin itched from where she still had dried blood on it. Her brain felt like it was going through thick pea soup. Just too much had happened in such a short period of time. Was her family okay? Would she ever see them again? What world had she come in to where there were talking foxes? Where women were bears?

"So, what should I do now?" Kagome thought aloud, any prospect terrifying. Her life had changed so much, she had no idea what to do now. She couldn't go home, but knew no where outside her village to go. She was a skilled healer but had never had to live in the woods alone. The future appeared to be a big question mark, full of unanswered questions.

She felt as if a wave of water had overwhelmed her and she put her head down to reorient herself. The tears started to fall before she could stop them, billowing in to full out sobs. Distantly she felt a small tapping on her head where Shippo was patting to comfort her.

When she had cried all her tears out, she leaned back in the chair and gave Shippo a shaky smile.

"Don't worry, Kagome." Shippo smiled brightly at her. "Things here aren't so bad. Even Inuyasha isn't that bad, you know, once you get used to the smell."

Kagome laughed a little. "Thanks, Shippo." Turning her head to her arm, she took a whiff of her own odour. "Speaking of smell, maybe it would be best if I took a bath. I must smell terrible!"

Shippo shrugged. "It's not SO bad." He hopped off the table to the back portion of the cottage, where he tapped his little paw against a metal tub tipped against the wall. The hollow clang echoed through the home. "We do have small tub here for laundry. Inuyasha and I usually bathe in the pond at the back of the house, but I think it would be too cold for a human."

Kagome tilted her head to the side, considering the answer. "So you aren't human?" she asked before she could consider if it was a rude question or not.

"Nope. I am a demon." He replied, distracted by the task of trying to get the tub out from its position against the wall. His little arms tugged at it until the tub fell with a large thump against the wooden floor boards. As the dust settle around him, he turned to smile at Kagome. "Fox demon, to be exact."

Kagome stood and gathered her dishes. As she made her way to the sink she queried, "Is Inuyasha also a demon?"

Shippo jumped on to her shoulder as she placed her dishes into the sink. "Kinda. He's only half demon. I don't know the whole story but I think his mother was human. His father was a very famous Qimmiq demon from the North West."

"Dog..." Kagome tapped her lips in thought as she processed the information. His heritage did help to explain his ears and unusual features.

"If you wanna get the water from the pond, I can heat it up for you!" Shippo offered, hopping down off her shoulder to sit back on the table. He pulled his top back out and began spinning it.

Kagome picked up a bucket to draw the water and hesitantly made her way to the door. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door just a crack to peer around, eyes alert for any sign of angry villagers.

The woods were silent. No footprints marred the snow around the small cottage. Cautiously Kagome crept around the side of the house, pausing every few minutes to listen for any signs of disturbance. She made it to the small pond, which was oddly not frozen considering the time of year, and drew the water she needed. She then practically ran back to the warmth and safety of the cottage, nearly tripping over the bucket in her haste.

She was making her way over to hang the bucket over the fire when Shippo stopped her. "Just dump it in the bucket. I can use my foxfire to warm it for you."

Kagome looked at him for a moment, then shrugged and proceeded to pour out the water. Shippo jumped up in excitement, his eyes practically glowing as he asked her, "are you ready? You might want to step back."

Kagome prudently took a few steps back from the tub. Shippo jumped up and exclaimed, "Foxfire!"

Unexpectedly, blue translucent flames erupted from his palm and were hurled towards the metal basin. Almost instantly the water gave a quick boil, steam rising from its surface to heat the already warm cottage.

Kagome stared at it in shock. She turned to look back at Shippo, who was beaming at her with pride. "Thank you...Shippo." She managed to stutter out, still amazed at the physics-bending abilities of this young boy...demon.

"No problem! Any time!" He hopped down and started making his way towards the door. "Take all the time you want Kagome. It is too hot in here for me so I'm going to go out to play in the woods for a bit."

"Be back before dark!" She called after him as the door swung shut. Never mind that he obviously lived in this house alone while Inuyasha was gone for protracted periods of time. He reminded her too much of her brother to want him to gallivant around the woods alone at night.

Once she was certain she was alone, Kagome stripped off her stained dress and slid in to the warm water. Sinking down until she was submerged up to her nose, Kagome blew out bubbles as she pondered her situation.

And she pondered.

* * *

AN: Qimmiq, or Canadian Eskimo Dog, is a spitz breed that is similar in appearance to the Akita Inu. I know it's splitting hairs but there were dogs indigenous to Canada so I thought I would throw that in there so there wasn't a random Japanese dog in the middle of Ontario.


	15. Chapter 15

Stepping out of the bath hours later, Kagome was no closer to figuring out a plan for her new life than when she had stepped in. Looking at her soiled clothing, Kagome wrinkled her nose at the thought of having to put it back on without getting a chance to wash it.

Glancing around the cottage, there was a very small trunk at the foot of the bed. Though Kagome did not relish the thought of routing through Inuyasha's belongings, Shippo did say to make herself at home.

Pushing open the lid, Kagome was met with the rich scent of cedar. At the bottom of the trunk there were a few flannel shirts and what appeared to be wool breeches. Picking up one of the red flannels, Kagome shook it out and held it up to herself. Certainly the shirt was large enough to cover her while her clothing dried.

Pulling it on and buttoning it up, Kagome smoothed the rough fabric down against her skin, a soft blush on her face. She had never worn a man's clothing before. Even though she knew Inuyasha would not be home, it still felt slightly intimate to wear his shirt.

Drawing her mind back to the matter at hand, she knelt beside the tub and began the arduous process of scrubbing out her clothing. She had her back to the door, so she heard it open and felt a frigid breeze against her back, she called back to Shippo "I am just about done! What would you like for dinner?"

Silence was the only reply to her question. Still feeling the cold against her back, she paused in scrubbing and turned as she stood. "Shippo?"

Turning around fully, her eyes widened as she realised that it was certainly not Shippo who had come through the door. Inuyasha stood there, back lit from the winter light coming in through the door. He still had his hand on the knob as he stared at her, his mouth hanging open slightly.

"Oh, um, welcome home!" Kagome smiled brightly, rubbing the back of her head awkwardly. "Sorry, I wasn't expecting you! Shippo said you wouldn't be home for awhile."

"Uh, yeah." He kept staring at her, his eyes somewhat vacant. "The trade...finished early."

Noticing he seemed to be staring at her clothing, Kagome looked down and blushed, remembering she wore only his shirt. "Sorry, I borrowed your shirt. My dress was filthy and I wasn't expecting you home so soon."

"...'is fine." The vacant look remained as he closed the door behind him without looking backwards.

"Well, then quit staring!" Kagome snapped, her face turning red at her sudden temper.

"Staring?" That seemed to snap him out of it, as he crossed his arm across his chest and turned his nose up towards the ceiling. A faint red dusted this tip of his nose. "I wasn't staring! Who would want to stare at you?"

Kagome gave him a skeptical look but didn't say anything further. "I was just about done this laundry. Do you mind if I finish it up?"

"Do whatever you want. I don't care." He snapped, still not looking at her. He unfolded his arms and practically stomped his way over to the cooking pot over the fire.

Once he seemed occupied getting some food, Kagome gathered up her wet clothes and strew them about the back of the house to let them dry. Mindful of Inuyasha's presence, she tucked the undergarments behind her dress to conceal them from view.

Satisfied that her clothes were out as best as she could, Kagome turned to join Inuyasha at the table. When she turned back around, she was met with his gaze quickly being redirected from staring at her to looking down at the table.

Pulling out the stool, Kagome seated herself opposite Inuyasha. She considered him for a moment as he quickly wolfed down his food. She had certainly been accurate in describing him as handsome. The rudeness had been a bit unexpected but she could deal with that. After all, this man...demon...half-demon had saved her life and all she had done was snap at him in return. He deserved her gratitude.

"I don't know how I can ever thank you, Inuyasha." She said to him softly.

He paused in his noisy eating to look up at her. "What do you mean?"

"You saved me from Bernadette, you saved me from the villagers, and you let me stay in your home." She replied, smiling warmly at him. "I don't know what I could do to say thanks for all you have done."

"Whatever." He replied, blush on his face as he went back to eating.

She blinked in surprise at her thanks being so abruptly dismissed. She opened her mouth to say something scathing, then noticed the happier tilt to his lips as he ate, and decided to let it go.

They sat in silence, save for the sounds of Inuyasha eating. Kagome was once again lost in thoughts of what she was going to do now. Could she live here? Dare she even ask Inuyasha?

"What's with the sighing?" Inuyasha broke the silence, his dark eyebrows gathered in a scowl. "It's annoying."

"Well, excuse me." She said, resisting the urge to stick her tongue out at him. What was it about him that brought out her childish side. "I've just had my life turned upside down and I'm feeling a bit lost at the moment. Forgive me if it occasionally makes me breath audibly."

He looked a bit abashed at that. "You're safe here." He reassured her, looking down at his food as he spoke. "Shippo's illusions are strong. Hell, I know where this place is and I still sometimes have trouble finding it."

When her heard her soft giggle in response, he tipped his gaze up at her. "Thanks," she smiled warmly, "I suppose when he mentioned how close it was to the village, I was a bit nervous."

"Nobody is going to hurt you, Kagome." He said seriously, his gaze intense. "Nobody."

This time she flushed and looked down. "How...how long have you lived here?" she asked, looking for a safer topic of conversation. One that didn't make butterflies erupt in her stomach.

Inuyasha shrugged, setting his spoon down in his bowl. "Years." He replied shortly, using his claws to pick out some food from between his teeth.

"Where were you meeting the Fur Traders? Are there other villages near to here?" She asked, thinking about her future. Though Kagome knew of nearby towns, and of course Fort Cataraqui was not too far, she had never ventured outside of her own village.

"Yeah, the fort is only a couple hours journey and a few villages are within a day or two of travel. At least at the speed that I can travel." He gave her a considering look. "For a human like you, maybe more like three or four days."

"Is that one of your demon abilities? To be fast?" She asked, looking up at his ears as she asked him. They twitched a bit, as if noticing her attention, before flattening down to his skull.

"Keh, all demons are fast. " He seemed to consider this a moment, "at least faster than humans."

Kagome considered the news of the other villages being three or four days away. She would have to pack some supplies in order to be able to make the journey, but she had nothing other than the clothes she had worn. She didn't even have any money to pay Inuyasha for supplies.

He interrupted her thoughts again."Now what's going on in that fool head of yours?"

She scowled at him. "I am trying to make plans for what to do next, since I obviously annoy you so much." She paused, considering her next words, "you know the villages well. Where do you think I should go?"

"Go?" He leaned back in surprise. "Why would you go anywhere? I told you your safe here."

"I can't just live here." She replied. Inuyasha looked back at her, not seeming to foresee any problem. "There is only one bed. Where will I sleep now that you are home?"

He looked past her at the bed, then looked at her, then blushed and looked away. "You can sleep there. I don't really need it except for...well there is a time when I use it...but other than that one day I don't usually sleep there anyways."

"I don't have any money." She admitted, shamefaced. "I have no way to pay for my food or lodgings."

"All the more reason to stay here." He argued, leaning towards her. "Most of our food is hunted or foraged. Like I said, we don't even use the bed. Clearly you should stay."

Kagome opened her mouth to retort but was interrupted by the door opening. "Kagome, I'm home!" Shippo called as he entered the warm house. He paused when he saw Kagome and Inuyasha, heads close together across the table, clearly engaged in some kind of discussion.

"Inuyasha, you're home!" He crowed, hopping up to the table to sit on its surface between them.

"Brat." he said in acknowledgement. "What were you doing, leaving Kagome here by herself?"

"She was in the house, so I knew she would be safe." Shippo argued.

"Did you say something to her? Why is she talking about leaving?" Inuyasha asked, his face intense.

"Um...I am sitting right here." Kagome quietly reminded. It clearly fell on deaf ears, although she knew they both heard her.

"She's talking about leaving!" Shippo looked horrified. "No! Kagome you should stay! We can sing songs, and play games! You'll see! This is a great place to live!"

Kagome looked at him in surprise. He had seemed happy with his life before, but maybe he was lonelier than she thought. "Shippo, it's not that I want to leave."

The young fox turned to Inuyasha and narrowed his eyes. "She wasn't talking about this before YOU came home. What did you do to her?"

"Nothing!" He spat back defensively.

"Boys!" Kagome interrupted. Seeing that she had both of their attention, she smiled kindly at them to diffuse the tension and explained herself. "It's not that I don't want to stay, I just...don't want to be a burden to you. But if you would let me stay, I'm sure there is some way I can help."

She stood and rubbed her hands together as she paced about the small space. The two demons looked at each other and then back at the thinking woman. Dipping her finger in to the pot, she tasted the bland, meat soup.

"Why don't I start by making us all dinner?" She said with a cheery smile. "Shippo, could I give you some ingredients to find?"

"Right away, Kagome!" He said with enthusiasm. She listed a few herbs she knew would be available in the winter and Shippo ran back out to the cold to find them in the dying light.

"See, you're already helping by keeping that brat occupied." Inuyasha said, putting his arms behind his head and leaning back.

Kagome laughed a little while stirring the soup pot. "It seems like we a bit low on meat." She turned to him and clasped her hands together at her chest. "Do you think you could find us something more for dinner? Whatever you can find is good."

He seemed to consider this. "Sure, whatever." Inuyasha stood with a lazy grace from the stool and walked towards the door. He stood with it half opened and looked back at her. "Stay in the house while everyone is gone. Shippo's illusions only cover so far."

She smiled at him and nodded. " I will."

He looked at her for a long moment, then shook his head and walked out the door with a slam.

Knowing they would be gone for a little while before she could start cooking, Kagome occupied herself cleaning up the remnants from her bath and laundry.

Once that was completed, she seated herself on the edge of the bed and considered the little cottage again more carefully. It seemed like this was going to be more than a little place of respite. It seemed like this was going to be home.


	16. Chapter 16

Time passed surprisingly quickly for Kagome and it soon felt like she had been living in the little cottage for years, even though it had only been weeks. Most of her day was spent in the house with Shippo, tidying up the cluttered contents of the home or scrubbing something or other. She cooked the boys three square meals per day and always made sure Shippo was home before dark. True to his word, Inuyasha did not seem to ever need to sleep in the bed. Instead he chose to sleep sitting upright next to the door. Shippo had fashioned himself a little bed up in the rafters and took to it at night to sleep.

Today, Kagome was patching yet another of Inuyasha's pants, which he had yet again ripped a hole in while he was out hunting. Inuyasha had come in for lunch and was currently eating his third helping at the kitchen table. Shippo had yet to return and his portion was still in the pot on the hearth.

Kagome looked up at the window and sighed. Truthfully, she was getting a bit of cabin fever having been stuck inside for so long. While not unusual to be indoors during the cold winters here, usually she was out skating on the river or chatting with Sango during the day. The safe area outside the house was so small, and Kagome was still very afraid of being outside too long so close to the village. All she wanted was to get out and stretch her legs! She sighed again and resumed her stitching, not noticing the pause in Inuyasha's eating.

"Hey." he called over to her, interrupting her after her stitch, "What's with the sighing?"

"I'm just a bit homesick, I suppose." She replied, holding the fabric up and finding another hole in it. What did he do? Run through a patch of burrs?

"What the hell could you be missing from that place?" He asked, feigning a casual air, although it wasn't enough to fool her. His face was disinterested, but somehow, they also seemed to be able to communicate via their energies. She could feel his energy reaching out to her and offering her comfort. She looked over at him and he was studiously looking down at his food.

"Just being out and about in town." She smiled wistfully, then looked down at the dress she had been wearing for the last few weeks. She had commandeered one of Inuyasha's shirts for sleeping and after bathing, but otherwise it was always the same outfit. Her smile turned rueful. "Maybe wearing some different clothes."

"You want to go to town?" He asked her, seeming thoughtful. "Well, there's no way I'm going to the goddamn village of yours. I guess I have been meaning to do some trading down at the fort. If you aren't too annoying, you could come along."

"Are you serious?" She exclaimed, jumping up off the bed. She rushed over to him. "Oh, Inuyasha! That would be great!"

"Calm down woman, it's just a fort." He dismissed her, but his facial expression seemed pleased with her response. "There might be somewhere for you to get a different dress though. That one is starting to stink like you."

"Are you saying I smell bad?" She narrowed her eyes at him, knowing she bathed and laundered her clothes much more often than he did.

"You can take it to mean whatever you want." He said sarcastically.

"Well then why don't we go today?" She put her hand on her hip and leaned on that side towards him, "if I smell so bad you must be eager to get outside and away from me."

"Today is...well it's not a good day for travelling. I have some stuff to do tonight, so I might be gone." He said, his eyes leaving hers to dart away evasively.

Kagome narrowed her eyes at him but chose not to comment. Even though they lived under the same roof, Kagome knew Inuyasha was a very private man. He would share when he was ready. She tried out sending an understanding signal back to him through her energy, and when his shoulders relaxed down from their hunched position she knew the message had been received.

"Okay, well thank you for thinking of it." She soothed, sitting back down to finishing her mending. "I'm looking forward to going tomorrow."

"Keh." Inuyasha said, stool scraping on the floor as he stood to exit the home. "I'm going out for awhile. Shippo should be back before dark. Stay here until I get back."

"Aye aye captain!" She replied, heartened by the thought of going out the next day.

He stared at her in consideration for a moment, then the corner of his mouth drew up into a small smile before he shook his head and walked out.

Once he was out the door, Kagome set down the mending and pressed a hand to her chest over where her heart was rapidly beating. What was going on with her? How did Inuyasha affect her so much? Most of the time he was rude and abrupt with her, but sometimes he would be kind or smile and she would feel her chest tighten in the most delightful way. She had never felt like this around any man before.

Shaking her head she tried to clear such thoughts. Instead she focused on what she would do at the fort on the next day. She would need more clothes, that is for sure. She was uncertain how much money Inuyasha had, for they never spoke of such things, but perhaps it would be a better option for her to buy a bolt of fabric to make multiple dresses. It is not like there is anyone around to notice they all look the same.

Lost in thought considering patterns, Kagome did not notice how late it had gotten until Shippo came crashing through the door.

"Kagome!" He called cheerfully, bounding over to give her what had become a customary hug in greeting. She gripped him with one hand and ran a hand through his hair with the other, picking out twigs he had acquired from his day out in the forest.

"Hello, Shippo!" She said cheerfully, "how was your day?"

"Pretty good. " He cast his eyes about the cottage thoughtfully, "I came back to tell Inuyasha I spotted a tribe of spider demons coming this way and I thought he should be ready to have to warn them off. Where is he?"

"I'm not sure." Kagome answered honestly while packing up her sewing supplies. "He said he would be out and he wasn't sure if he would come back tonight."

"Isn't it the night of the new moon?" Shippo asked.

Kagome looked out the window. "It certainly is dark tonight. Come to think of it, I do think it is."

Shippo looked nervous. "I don't think it's a good idea for Inuyasha to be out with those spiders out there."

"I'm sure Inuyasha can take care of himself." Kagome replied, thinking of the fight with Bernadette. How quickly and masterfully he had fought. How beautiful he had looked in battle. She blushed a bit at the thought.

"You don't understand! We need to find him right away!" Shippo looked panicked.

"Okay, okay." Kagome soothed. "Shippo, you know I'm not allowed to leave the grounds of the cottage. Is it safe for you to be out there by yourself?"

The floor of the cottage started to gently shake. Suddenly they heard several high pitched squeals followed by the sound of snow crunching beneath many scuttling feet.

"They're coming! We're safe in here but Inuyasha is in danger!" Shippo looked pale and started shaking.

Kagome wasn't sure what was going on, but what were the odds that some villager would be looking for her out in the woods after so long a time? She was sure they assumed she had died or moved to a different village at this point. Seeing Shippo so scared and Inuyasha's unexpected delay in returning made up her mind.

Kneeling, she rooted around under the bed until she produced the bow and arrows that she escaped with. "Alright Shippo, let's go find Inuyasha and make sure he gets home."

Shippo looked serious and nodded his head before he took off out the door. Kagome followed a more sedate pace. She paused at the threshold of where she knew Shippo's barrier ended around the house. Taking a deep breath, she stepped through. Looking around warily for a moment, she breathed a sigh of relief where she was not instantly spotted.

Shippo was sniffing the ground in front of her, twitching his tail left and right to determine where Inuyasha may have gone. "I'm pretty sure he is this way!"

They took off running in the knee deep snow, Shippo able to skirt across the crusted top while Kagome's heavier steps had her sinking in up to her knees.

Kagome saw the shadow jump from the treetops just in time. "Shippo, Look out!" She called.

He turned and spotted the spider coming at him. "Foxfire!" He shouted, throwing the luminescent ball at the enemy. The spider hissed and jumped away.

"Good work Shippo!" She cheered as they continued on.

The sounds of the demons were growing louder and even in the dark of the woods without a moon Kagome could see the crowd gathered around a cave. She could hear a struggle going on but wasn't sure exactly what was fighting.

"Inuyasha's scent leads towards there." Shippo told her, looking afraid. "I don't think my foxfire will be enough for so many demons."

Kagome looked at them all and felt a bit of fear enter her heart. She looked over at Shippo, who was looking decidedly green, and knew she couldn't allow herself to become afraid. Inuyasha needed her and after he saved her, it was the least she could do.

She notched her arrow and drew back on her bow. She tried to call up that energy she knew was residing within her and found it very difficult. It was like lighting a fire but the spark eluded her.

She then heard a scream of pain that was unmistakably Inuyasha and suddenly her energy flared to life. She became surrounded by a formed a bright pink sphere of light, nearly blinding in the dark of the forest. She channelled that energy down in to her bow and arrow before letting her arrow fly.

The spiders in the path of her arrow evaporated. The other members of the clutter sensed the danger and took off in search of cover. Shippo sent a volley of foxfire in to the cave and it revealed a pair of demons. Kagome shot two more arrows, falling her prey, and she could see no further enemies.

The pair slowly approached the cave and Shippo provided light with foxfire. Kagome's breath caught in her throat when she saw Inuyasha laying on the floor, unmoving.

"Inuyasha!" She called, kneeling down beside him. Shippo sat on her shoulder peering down at his pallid face.

"Ka...gome?" He asked, looking up at her.

She noticed his eyes appeared darker than usual. Perhaps it was the dark of the cave. "Come on, we need to get you out of here."

"Leave me behind," he said, turning away. "Save yourselves."

"You dummy! We came out here to get you!" Shippo chastised. "What were you thinking, going out on your human night like that!"

"Human night?" Kagome squinted her eyes to get a look at him in the dark of the cave. His hair was pitch black and his golden eyes had become a normal shade of violet.

He met her eye for only a moment before looking away. Suddenly a violent coughing fit took over him. Kagome didn't need to be a healer to know that he wasn't doing well.

She slung his arm over her shoulders and together they stood. "Come on, let's get you home. I'll look after you there."

He looked at her for a moment without saying anything before he nodded his head. Shippo took the lead to get them back to the cottage safely. Somehow the trip back seemed to take twice as long, with Kagome having to plod even more slowly through the snow and bear more and more of Inuyasha's weight as they proceeded.

"We're almost there!" Shippo cheered. "Just about through the illusion!"

Kagome looked ahead but knew she would not be able to see a thing. Her concentration was on keeping Inuyasha moving.

"Kagome!" she heard a voice call from behind her.

Turning her head to glance over her shoulder, Kagome stared in shock at Revered Miroku, standing in the middle of the woods in the dark of the night.

"Kagome, is that you?" He called out, moving to advance towards her.

"Shippo, we have to run!" Kagome whispered harshly. "Inuyasha, please help me."

Wearily he nodded his head and the group took off in a stumbling run, the Reverend's footsteps growing louder behind her.

When she saw Shippo disappear and knew where the barrier was, Kagome desperately shoved Inuyasha and then threw herself through. The three of them sat, breathless in the snow as Miroku approached the edge of the illusion. He was gazing left and right, obviously searching for her. Seeing she was nowhere to be found, he shook his head and started walking back towards the village.

Kagome breathed a sigh of relief, then looked over at Inuyasha who had his eyes closed and was clutching his stomach. Clearly her worrying was not done for the night.

"Come on." She scooped his arm back over his shoulder and led him in to the warmth of the cottage.

Kagome pulled the quilt covers back off the bed and laid Inuyasha down on the bottom sheet. His face was clammy with sweat and he looked very pale.

" Where are you injured?" She asked, her mind reverting to her practice as a healer and she began to unbutton his shirt. When he didn't try to stop her, she knew he was poorly off.

She peeled back the shirt that had been stuck to him with sweat and blood and hissed at the wound on his abdomen. It was a deep gouge with macerated edges. The surrounding skin seemed to almost have been burned and flaked away at Kagome's probing touch.

"It's...nothing." Inuyasha said through clenched teeth. "It will heal in the morning."

Kagome worried her lip between her teeth, assuming that if he was his half-demon self that was probably true. "Shippo," she turned to the fretting fox demon, "can you find me some willow's bark?" He only nodded his head and then took off back to the woods.

Kagome picked up the pants she had just carefully mended and began tearing it in to strips. She pressed some of the strips into the wound, hoping to staunch the flow of the blood. As one strip was soaked, she replaced it with another until they stopped becoming saturated. Seeing that the flow was slowing, her heart started to slow down enough for her hands to start shaking.

"Oh...Inuyasha..." she said woefully. "Why were you out there alone?"

The tears started to fall. "You're so stupid!" She raged quietly, standing from the bed to wet a rag from the pot of water she was going to boil for dinner. That seemed like lifetimes ago. "Why didn't you just tell me it was your human night! You could have stayed here where it is safe!"

She heard a small snuffling noise coming from the bed. "Kagome...?" Inuyasha asked weakly.

"I'm here, Inuyasha." She soothed, sitting back at his side on the bed and laying the cool cloth on his forehead. She brushed the hair back from his face, trying to provide him some comfort.

"We are...back home?" He asked, not moving his body except to turn his face in to the pillow towards her.

"Yes, we managed to get back safely. You've been poisoned by spider demons. You're resting in bed." She continued to run her fingers through his hair.

"This bed. It smells like you." He said quietly, his lips turning up in to a small smile.

"Are you going to start complaining that the bed stinks as badly as me?" She asked incredulously.

He turned his head away from her. "When I said that I didn't like how you smelled, I was lying." He took a deep breath and let it out as a gusty sigh. "That bear was telling the truth. Your scent is unlike anything else. It's...amazing."

Kagome paused in her ministrations to stare at him. What on earth was going on? Was Inuyasha complimenting her? She felt her face start to heat and her stomach twisted in to knots.

Shippo chose that moment to barge back in to the cottage, a few pieces of widow's bark in his hands.

With practiced hands Kagome tore it in to strips. "Chew on this." She instructed, placed it next to his mouth. Her fingers tingled where they brushed against the soft skin of his lips.

All through the night, Kagome and Shippo kept vigil until Inuyasha's fever broke and his breathing evened out to a resting sleep.

Too fatigued to move, Kagome laid down beside him with Shippo in her arms and the three of them fell in to a deep sleep.


	17. Chapter 17

Kagome awoke to a tickling sensation on her face. She brushed her hand against whatever it was, trying to move whatever it was away so she could continue sleeping. When "it" started whining in a voice that sounded like Shippo, Kagome's eyes opened, disoriented and wondering why Shippo would be in her bed.

Looking down, she found him curled up into a little ball just beneath her chin. His mop of hair had been directly under her nose, but her movements caused him to shift away, murmuring in his sleep. She smiled warmly at him, brushing her hand through his hair and trying to recall the events of last night.

Her movements must have caused some shifting in the bed, because the next sensation she felt was a heavy arm landing on her hip. Looking down at the foreign object, she recognized it as Inuyasha's arm, but her mind lost all thoughts when it flexed and drew her back across the bed to rest against something solid. Something she had thought was the wall of the cottage, but as it curved to fit more tightly against her and as she felt puffs of air against her cheek, she knew it what it must be.

"Kagome..." Inuyasha grumbled in his sleep, pressing his face in to her hair. The arm around her hip tightened, holding her more firmly against him.

Kagome's eyes were now wide open staring across the room, her heart pounding in her ears. She searched her thoughts for what had happened last night and then recalled the spider demons and the human Inuyasha. She looked down to inspect his arm to see if he was still human despite the morning light. Her searching gaze was met by Shippo's wide green eyes.

"Shippo!" She hissed in surprise, not expecting him to be awake and witnessing this, well, intimate moment.

"Kagome!" He exclaimed back, popping up to stand beside her on the bed. "Is Inuyasha alright?"

At his prompting, she shimmed out of Inuyasha's grasp in order to sit up and turn over to take a look at him. His arm still lay across her lap and protested her movements by dragging her back against his side. Her face beet red, Kagome looked down at Shippo to see if he was shocked but found his expression relaxed and fixated on Inuyasha.

Looking at Inuyasha for the first time that morning, she was relieved to see silver hair strew about the bed covers. His face was relaxed in to a deep but healthy sleep. She scanned his bared chest for any sign of the poisoned injury from last night and found only healed skin.

"He's going to be just fine." She reassured both Shippo and herself, giving him a pat on the head. Inuyasha grumbled again and rolled away from them to face the wall, freeing Kagome to stand and get on with the day. Both shared a look, silently agreeing to remain quiet and allow Inuyasha to get more rest.

She slid off the bed and stood on uncertain legs, trying to get a bearing on the day. She couldn't believe so much had happened. Kagome gestured to the cooking pot and Shippo nodded, hopping out the door to find ingredients for breakfast.

As Kagome readied the ingredients and supplies she had, she looked over at Inuyasha's sleeping form. His silver curtain of hair obscured most of him from view, but the sound of his steady breathing was reassuring. She tapped her lips with her finger, remembering how different he looked as a human. Different, but somehow also the same. And familiar, now that she was thinking about it.

While her mind was working through how someone with as unique a physique as Inuyasha could look familiar, her searching hands brushed against a paper bag she recognized. Withdrawing it from the cluttered shelf, she opened it and was somehow not surprised to find chestnuts within. Her hand rested against her chest where her heart fluttered. It couldn't be, could it?

Walking over to look at his sleeping face, the similarity was uncanny. The stranger from Reverend Miroku's party had been Inuyasha? Could it be true? Kagome's face warmed, remember the dance they had shared. She wished now that she hadn't been so confused and had paid more attention to enjoying the dance.

She supposed it was in keeping with the facts she knew. Shippo had told her they had been watching her in the village and she knew she had met Inuyasha at her tree in the woods. It just seemed impossible that people who had come to mean so much to her were so close for so long and she had no idea.

When Shippo returned with the needed ingredients, Kagome cooked a quick breakfast and they ate in silence. After they had eaten, Kagome noticed Shippo's longing look out the window and smiled at him, knowing it was hard for the energetic boy to stay quiet and cooped up for long.

Walking over to the door, Kagome began putting on her shoes. Shippo got the silent message and hopped over to join her. It was still snowing outside and Kagome did not relish the thought of going out without a cloak, but it would be nice to get some fresh air. The two exited quickly to prevent a draft from entering the home.

The cold was not unbearable and the ground was blanketed in a beautiful, undisturbed white. Free from the cottage, Shippo jumped in to the snow, sinking in as he landed with a loud thump.

"Kagome!" He cheered, obviously happy to be outside. "What should we do now?"

Looking at the undisturbed snow, Kagome could think of nothing else. "Shippo, why don't we build a snowman?"

He looked a bit confused. "A snowman?"

She smiled back and scooped up some snow off the railing of the steps to the cottage. "This is perfect packing snow." She molded the cold snow in to a ball with her bare hands, mourning the loss of her rabbit skin gloves when the shock of the cold hit them. "First we make a little ball and then you roll it to make it even bigger." She knelt down and demonstrated the rolling in the snow by the stairs. Shippo' eyes widened as he watched the ball get bigger and bigger.

"Wow!" He exclaimed, taking over rolling the small ball of snow. Kagome sat back on the step as she watched him push around the yard.

Once three balls of suitable size had been made, Kagome helped the little fox to stack them in to the semblance of a man. They used rocks from the pond for eyes and a mouth. Shippo was just jamming sticks in to the torso for arms when the front door to the cottage swung open to reveal Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha!" Shippo called happily, dropping the stick to bounce over. "You're alright!"

"Keh," he turned his face away, looking smug. "It will take more than a pathetic spider to get rid of me."

Kagome picked up the lost stick and stuck it in to the snowman's side. "I'm glad you're alright!" She smiled at him, noticing the light pink that appeared on his face from her attention. "I hope we didn't wake you."

"You two were making enough noise to wake the dead." He responded, walking down the steps to meet her. "What the heck is this supposed to be?"

"It's a snowman." Kagome declared haughtily, adjusting the snowman's arms to sit more evenly. "I think he is very dashing."

Inuyasha eyed it critically. "Doesn't look like any man I've ever seen. The smile is kind of creepy."

Kagome turned to retort, but as she did, she watched in surprise as a ball of snow landed on Inuyasha's cheek and slowly slid down. Both turned to look at Shippo, who had a wicked smile before he launched another projectile, landing square on Inuyasha's forehead.

It only took a second for Inuyasha to go bounding after him. Kagome could only stand there and laugh. Of course boys would naturally take snowman technique and make snow balls.

Bending down, Kagome began preparing her own ammunition. She didn't trust those two not to turn on her, and she wanted to be part of the fun. She stood with her snowball in her cold chapped hands and looked for an opportunity to strike.

Inuyasha and Shippo were running around the house so quickly they looked like blurs of colour. Figuring she would probably hit one of them, Kagome lobbed a snowball in their path. When Inuyasha stopped, a distinctively snow splatter on his jacket, he turned towards her with a predatory gleam. Suddenly not sure why she had been keen to join, Kagome let out a yelp and took off in a run as best as she could.

It had been hopeless from the start. Within two steps Inuyasha had scooped her up and had flung her over his shoulder.

"You're not playing fair, Kagome." He teased her, walking purposefully, although she wasn't sure where. "I don't know how to make these snow projectiles but..."

He paused for dramatic effect. She couldn't see anything but his back as she squirmed on his shoulder, trying to get free. "...I do know how to make you projectile in to snow."

Without any further warning he tossed her up in the air. She let out a surprised shriek as she sailed in an arc across the yard. The wind was forced out of her lungs as she landed squarely in a giant pile of snow.

Shippo continued to pelt Inuyasha with snow balls as he advanced towards where Kagome was stuck in the snow pile, her arms and legs working fruitlessly to get her out.

He looked down at her for a moment with a small smile on his face, the dim winter sun giving his silver hair a faint glow. Kagome huffed and pouted at him.

"You okay?" he asked with a casual tone but his face was earnest. He reached a hand down to help pull her out.

Gratefully she took his hand and he effortlessly extracted her from the snow mound. When she was upright beside him she smiled brightly, brushing the snow off her dress. "Can we do that again?" she asked with a grin.

He shook his head as he smiled at her. Before she could even blink she was back in the air, screaming with delight before landing back in the snow heap.

The three of them stayed out in the snow until the sun set and Kagome started shivering. Her dress had soaked through , and though she had been cold, she didn't want to spoil the fun.

Inuyasha seemed to notice her rubbing her hands to warm them and walked over to her. Capturing both her hands in his, he chaffed them and felt their temperature.

"Jesus, woman!" He exclaimed, rubbing faster. "You're a block of ice! Why didn't you say anything?"

"I...was having so much fun! I didn't want to go inside." She admitted, blushing both from the scolding and that Inuyasha was still holding her hands.

He stopped his chaffing and stared at her intently for a moment, his hands gently warming hers through the contact. "We'll..." he cleared his throat awkwardly, "We can go to the Fort tomorrow and try to get you some proper winter clothes. For now though, you go inside and warm up."

Another shiver hit her body and she could only nod her agreement. Slipping inside the cottage, she left the boys to continue their rowdy play in the snow. Carefully hanging her wet clothes to dry knowing she would have to wear them in public tomorrow, Kagome buttoned the buttons on Inuyasha's shirt before laying down in the bed to sleep. She noted with gratitude that Inuyasha had changed the sheets at some point during the day, although she was remorseful the bed no longer smelled like him.

Blushing at the thought, Kagome feel asleep to dreams of a warm body against her back and strong arms holding her close.


	18. Chapter 18

_Au bord de la fontaine  
La belle m'a dondaine  
Au joli mois de mai  
La belle m'a lalala  
Au joli mois de mai  
La belle m'a donde_ _\- Au bord de la fontaine, by le vent du nord_

* * *

Fort Catarqui was bigger and busier than she had thought. Soldiers bustled about, intermixed with men and women who appeared to be fur traders or voyageurs. Inuyasha navigated the crowds with ease, though in part the crowd seemed to give him extra space. He wore no jacket, just his red plaid and a red toque obscuring his ears from view as he pushed through the throng.

Kagome was unaccustomed to so many people and found she was falling behind. Part of it was her interest in the things around her. There were just so many things that were new for her! She had never seen such a diversity of people before. Her small village had been largely Anglo-Saxon after all. The scenery was different too. She admired the structure of the fort, strong and imposing in the background of the small village that had grown around it. Almost everyone here spoke French, a language she was familiar with but was nowhere near the fluency that she heard lilting around her.

So engrossed in her observation, she stopped short in surprise when a soldier stood in her path. "Bonjour, Mademoiselle." He said with a gentle smile. The crowd pushing past jostled them but he took hold of her arm to keep her steady. "Etes-vous perdu? Qu'est ce que tu fais la?"

Kagome blushed and fumbled for a response. "Je...suis..."

She was interrupted by Inuyasha's voice. "Elle est avec moi." He said plainly, his arm sliding around her waist to pull her against his hip.

"Ah," the soldier replied while stepping away, comprehending something Kagome obviously did not. "Bien sur. Bonne journee, Mademoiselle and Inuyasha."

Kagome turned to him. "You didn't have to be rude, you know."

"Keh." Inuyasha turned his face away, using his arm to keep her beside him. "You're slowing us down. I thought we came here because you needed things."

Kagome looked down at her pitiful, tattered dress and was reminded why they came to the fort. That didn't mean she was going to let Inuyasha win. "But there are so many exciting things to see!" She turned towards him while staying in his hold. "I've never been somewhere this size before!"

He seemed to consider her for a moment before his lips drew up in a smirk. "I'm not here to be a tourist. C'mon, we need to get to Kaede's shop before she closes."

Inuyasha kept her tight to his side until they reached a small door in the side of the fort. He pushed her ahead in to the small general store ahead of him and then closed the door securely behind him.

An old woman looked up from the book she was reading behind the counter. "Inuyasha! Quelle surprise." She had a weathered face and a patch covering one eye. Her good eye fixed on Kagome's face and she seemed to be scanning her form intently. "Qui est cette femme?"

"Her name is Kagome." Inuyasha introduced before gently pushing her forward to stand closer to the old woman. "It's a long story. Kagome, this is Kaede. She owns this shop."

"Nice to meet you." Kagome replied, nodding her head to Kaede.

"Welcome, Kagome." Kaede smiled switching effortlessly in to English and walking around the counter to meet them. "What can I do for you?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "She says she needs some stuff." He replied. "It can go on my bill. You know what to do."

"Aye." Kaede answered slowly, looking at Kagome more closely. Kagome met her scrutinizing gaze, uncertain why she felt like she was being interrogated.

He turned towards Kagome. "I've got some things to take care of while we are at the fort. You're safe here, but don't leave the shop alone, understand?"

Initially Kagome bristled at being told what to do, but from his imploring gaze she knew better than to push the issue. "Yes, I will stay here with Kaede." She affirmed.

Nodding at her, he shared a serious look with the old woman before turning and leaving the shop. Once he was gone, Kaede smiled kindly at Kagome and led her to the back of the store.

Together they quietly began browsing the fabrics, Kagome's hand running over the different bolts to assess their weight. She would need winter dresses for sure. When she touched a light cotton fabric, she became thoughtful about her situation. Would she still be with Inuyasha and Shippo come spring? Her face warmed slightly as she considered living with them for so long.

"I've heard about you, Kagome." Kaede stated, interrupting her thoughts. "Not from Inuyasha. I heard about your village."

Kagome's hand stalled where it was and her breath caught in her throat. She turned hesitantly towards the old woman.

Kagome had prepared herself for an attack, so she was quite surprised when Kaede simply reached over and patted her hand. "It is not fair, what happened to ye." She replied. "People often fear what they cannot understand." She rested her hand on Kagome's, and that's when Kagome noticed it. The warmth that transferred between them, similar to the feeling she shared with Revered Miroku.

"You... as well?" Kagome questioned.

"Aye." Kaede gave her a hand a little squeeze before releasing her to move slowly around the side of the table of fabric. "Although not to your extent. I am happy Inuyasha has been keeping an eye on you and that you are safe."

"He...saved my life." Kagome responded, looking down at the fabric with pink cheeks. " I have no way to repay him."

Kaede took her hand again and gave it a little squeeze. "I'm sure you're giving him something greater than you know."

Kagome gave her a puzzled look and the old woman just chuckled. "Let's get you what you need. Inuyasha is many things, but a patient man isn't one of them."

Kagome snorted before she could help herself and was met with an amused smile from Kaede. Between the two of them the shopping went quickly with idle chatter keeping the atmosphere companionable. Inuyasha returned just as Kaede was tying a string on the bundle of goods.

"You done?" He asked, walking over to shoulder the package of goods.

"Yes, thank you." Kagome intercepted him, slinging the parcel over her shoulder.

He moved to take it from her and she evaded him. "I can carry it." She stated, already feeling guilty about the cost of the purchases. Kaede never said what the total was but Kagome was sure it was more than she had spent in her life.

"Just hand it over." He stated, extending his hand. "You'll only slow us down."

"I can handle it." She retorted, moving out of his grasp.

"You're being stupid. Just give me the package." He reached for her and she only barely managed to evade him.

"If I may," Kaede interjected, her hand raised to still them, "perhaps if Kagome carries the package, then Inuyasha could carry Kagome?"

They had walked here independently, despite Inuyasha complaining about how slowly she walked the whole time. He had never offered to carry her, although Kagome knew from when he saved her from Bernadette that he was capable of lifting her with minimal effort. She wondered if that meant Kaede also knew Inuyasha wasn't human. Kaede's gaze did not deviate from hers when they met.

With a sigh, Kagome turned towards Inuyasha, prepared to compromise. She was surprised by the intense look on his face as he stared at her. He threw an annoyed look at the old woman, who seemed to understand the message and moved from behind the counter to lead the two of them to a back door.

"This leads directly to the woods. You will not be spotted from here." She reassured Inuyasha.

He gave Kagome a considering look before dropping down to a crouch, showing her his back. "It will be a much faster journey if I carry you." He instructed, his voice faltering a bit.

Kagome adjusted the bundle on her back where it already dug in to her shoulders. "I'm not sure. I'm pretty heavy with this added weight."

Both Kaede and Inuyasha made a sound of dissent. "It's alright, Kagome." Kaede reassured her, "I'm sure it will be fine."

Kagome looked back at the old woman, then at Inuyasha's awaiting back. Sure, he had carried her when she was unconscious, but she had never been carried awake by a man before. She moved to stand against his back, her leg apart and her arms wrapped around his neck. Inuyasha stood in one fluid motion, his hands coming up to bring her thighs against the sides of his chest. She blushed at the heat of his hands on the underside of her thighs, even through her thick dress. He adjusted her position back and forth before seeming satisfied with the weight distribution.

Kagome turned her head to the old woman. "Thank you for all your help, Kaede." She said gratefully.

"Any time." The old woman smiled. "Do bring her back to visit sometime, Inuyasha."

"Whatever." He replied, already taking long strides towards the forest and away from the bustle of the fort. "Later, old woman."

When they reached the tree line, suddenly Inuyasha took off in a mad sprint. The speed made Kagome slam down against his back, her arms crushing her down as close as she could get. She peered up over his shoulder to try to get her bearings and could only watch as he launched them up in a single bound up in to the trees. The winter branches were bare as they sped from tree to tree. Kagome buried her face close to his neck to stay safe but kept her eyes forward, amazed at their speed. The rich scent of the forest he gave off filled her nose where it was buried against him and she drew a deep breath, feeling safe despite the seemingly reckless speed.

As the sun was setting, Kagome saw the distortion that marked the entrance to the cottage. Both of them popped through the barrier and Inuyasha deftly landed just below the first step to the front door of the cottage.

Inuyasha loosed his grip on her legs enough for her to slide down to the ground. Kagome stabilized herself against his arm as her quivering legs stopped shaking.

"You okay?" He asked, turned towards her in concern, his hands coming up to grip either of her arms.

"That...was...amazing!" Kagome breathed out in awe. Then she gave him a light sock on the arm. "I can't believe you made me walk all that way when we could have gone that quickly!"

He smirked at her. "I told you that you were going too slow!"

"Well, forgive me for being human." She replied, sticking her tongue out at him as they mounted the steps.

He gave her a considering look as he pulled off the toque that had hidden his ears. "You're forgiven." He replied with a smirk, his ears twitching erratically with freedom.

Kagome was about to retort when an orange ball barrelled in to her stomach.

"Kagome! You're home!" Shippo cried with excitement. "Oh, and hello to you too, Inuyasha."

Kagome dropped her pack on the ground as Shippo hopped off her to land on Inuyasha. The two bickered while she began organizing all her new things. She hung a new heavy cloak up by the door, removed rabbit skin gloves to put by the doorway, and organized some new spices she had purchased in the kitchen.

Looking at her new clothing purchases, Kagome opened the trunk at the foot of the bed and reorganized Inuyashas clothes so they only took up one half and began filling the other half with her new clothes and fabric for dresses.

While she was working there was a moment of silence. Knowing that silence between her two boys could only mean disaster, Kagome stopped what she was doing to look over at them. Inuyasha was staring down in to the trunk thoughtfully.

He walked over towards her with purpose and reached down in to the trunk. He took his shirt, the one she had stolen for so many weeks and was now returning, and moved it back over to her side of the trunk.

"You...should keep that." He told her quietly. Shippo was watching them intently. "It stinks so badly like you, I don't want it back. Either keep it or I'm getting rid of it."

Kagome pursed her lips and was about to issue a scathing retort when she noticed his imploring gaze as he nudged the garment towards her. She looked down at the rough flannel and realized she was also not so willing to give it up for the thick nightdress she had purchased in its stead.

"It is a perfectly fine shirt." Kagome replied, placing her hand over it to hold it in place on her newly minted side of the trunk. "It would be shame to get rid of it."

"Whatever." Inuyasha replied dismissively, moving back to whatever argument he had been having with Shippo."Do whatever you want."

Smiling, Kagome laid the shirt out on her bed to wear that night to sleep. Looking down at her new collection of belongings she became aware of how long she had committed to staying here with her boys. Her new family. Her Inuyasha.


	19. Chapter 19

_Un gros coup de vent de nordet  
Nous irons jouer sur le bord de l'eau  
Trois Navires de ble s'en fit rentrer  
Nous irons jouer sur le bord de l'eau  
Nous irons jouer dans l'isle.  
_ _-Trois Naivres de Ble by Great Big Sea_

* * *

Kagome gave a little jump in surprise when she was stabbed in the finger by the needle she was currently sewing with. It had taken a few tries, and even more ripped stitches, but Kagome was just completing the hem on her hand sewn dress. She sat on the top step of the cottage, enjoying the relatively warm day. The weather was much more tolerable now that she could wrap herself in a thick cloak. Pausing her sewing, Kagome looked over to find Shippo building yet another snowperson. The yard was already littered with them and it seemed Shippo was adding a particularly tall one to his collection.

Kagome had to put her hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh when the precarious top snow ball toppled off the snowman to land with a 'whomp' on Shippo's head. The little fox was dazed for only a moment before he resumed his task. Seeing he was doing just fine, Kagome went back to her stitching.

When she felt a breeze against her bangs, she didn't even need to look up before greeting Inuyasha. "Welcome home!" She said cheerfully, finishing her stitch before smiling brightly at him. "What a beautiful day we are having!"

He looked down on her with a smirk, simply nodding before turning to seat himself beside her on the step. Kagome blinked at him in surprise, expecting him to push past her to get some lunch.

They sat in silence for a moment, both watching the little fox play. Kagome cleared her throat and asked, "you were up early. Where did you get to this morning?"

He looked at her for a moment before his face turned to face directly away from her. "I...well...I had an errand to run." He finished conclusively, nodding while his face remained turned away.

"An errand? What could we need?" Kagome asked in confusion. After her shopping trip at Kaede's, Kagome could certainly want for nothing in the small cottage. They ate well from what they could hunt or forage. There was no shortage of wood for the fire.

He looked at her from the corner of his eye. "There's...nothing you're missing?" he asked.

"Well, I do miss my mother and brother. And Sango and maybe even Reverend Miroku." Kagome tapped her lips with her finger in thought. "But no, I can't think of anything."

He turned fully to face her. "Really? Because there is something you talk about all the time."

Kagome's brows knitted in confusion. "All the time?" She repeated softly to herself. Though she hadn't taken the time to think about it, Kagome knew she was very happy in the little cottage. Sure it may not have the most comfortable bed or all the amenities, but it was a safe and warm and, well, home now.

With a huff, Inuyasha withdrew a small package wrapped in paper from where it had been hidden at his side. He pushed it at against her hands, and in her surprise she gripped it.

She started at it without comprehension for a moment. "What is this?" She asked, tipping her gaze up towards Inuyasha's intense stare.

"Just open it." He encouraged, his arms reaching behind his head to rest leisurely against the railing on the steps.

Giving him one last considering look, Kagome diverted her attention down to her gift. A gift from Inuyasha! Who would have ever thought?

After opening the parcel, she looked down in surprise at pair of sharp blades before her. Picking one up, she looked at Inuyasha in confusion. "You got me skates?" she asked.

"You talk about skating all the time. I remember you used to go every day in the village." He commented with a shrug. "Now you have skates here."

She looked down again. Kagome hadn't realised how much she had missed her favorite winter pastime until it was presented before her. She carefully clutched the skates close to her chest. "Thank you so much, Inuyasha!" She said with a luminous smile. Then she looked about the small area within the illusion and her smile faltered a bit. "Unfortunately, I'm not sure where I will use them."

"Keh." He said, unperturbed by her observation. "Don't you think I thought of that? We'll go far enough away from the village so no one can find you. I've found the perfect spot."

Kagome gave him a long look. "This is...too much Inuyasha." She said emphatically. "You've already given me so much! You gave me some where to live, and all these clothes, and you protect me. I'm not sure what I can give you in return!"

"Are you...happy here?" He asked with a tentative tone.

"Yes." She replied without hesitation.

"Then I don't need anything else." He responded crisply. Without pausing for a reply he asked. "Where did the brat get to? It is way too quiet around here."

Both sets of eyes turned to the bottom of the stairs, where a pair of bright green eyes were watching them with a shrewd expression. "So, are we going skating?" He asked, his little fangs glinting with his smile. Inuyasha simply quirked an eyebrown in her direction.

Kagome smiled at both of them. "First, you two are eating lunch." She reminded, then she looked to Inuyasha for confirmation before nodding. "Then, I guess we are going skating!"

Later that afternoon, Kagome was stepping off Inuyasha's back after he had ran her and Shippo deep through the woods to the edge of a large river. She looked at the pristine and empty ice with a bright smile. It was a small oxbow in the river that was protected on each side from the wide by a steep bank. A perfect place for skating!

Kagome smiled at Inuyasha, surprised at how thoughtful he was. He was studiously avoiding her attention, instead picking a fight with the small fox demon over who would test the thickness of the ice before Kagome ventured out.

It was settled by Inuyasha picking up the small fox and tossing him out on the river. Shippo gave a small cry as he flew and his landing appeared to make no impact on the thick ice, although Kagome did not think his slight weight was really adequately comparable to hers.

Tightening the straps on her blades to her boots, Kagome set a tentative step on the exposed ice. Seeing it was solid, she pushed herself off and began coasting across the smooth ice. She did a few whirls and twirls, enjoying the speed and the sensation of sliding. Admittedly it had lost some of its luster compared to riding around on Inuyasha, but exerting herself did feel good after being cooped up for so long.

Kagome skated over to where Shippo was standing on the ice. He seemed perfectly capable of walking over to her without slipping on the surface.

"I don't get it." He said coming over to her. "How is this different from walking?"

Looking down, she noticed he was using his little claws like ice picks that allowed him to walk. "Flatten your feet." She instructed. When he did so, and she saw his balance become slightly off kilter, Kagome grabbed his little hands and began to skate them in a circle. Once they had built enough speed, she let him go to watch him spin his way down the river.

Shippo quickly came scampering back. "Again! Again!" He cried cheerfully. Obliging, Kagome took him by the hands and slid him down the ice again.

Coming out of her spin, Kagome noticed that Inuyasha still stood on the shore. "Won't you come on the ice?" She called over, opening her arms invitation.

"I'm not going out there just fall on my ass like an idiot." He said, crossing his arms and looking away with a huff.

"Aw, don't be like that. It will be fun!" Kagome wheedled, skating towards him.

He stood from the snow and folding his arms across his chest, giving her a look as if he were considering it. When he went to open his mouth to answer, he was interrupted.

"Hey, Dog Shit." The rough voice growled. "What the hell are you doing in MY woods?"

Kagome paused in her strides but her momentum continued to carry her towards the riverbank where a man now stood, dressed in only a few thick wolf furs, glaring at Inuyasha. Similar to the encounter with Bernadette, Kagome could see a faint blue outline surrounding the stranger. She surmised he must also be a demon of some sort.

"Oi, asshole. You don't own this part of the woods. Your pack is further East." Inuyasha snarled, standing with his claws drawn towards the new comer. "Besides, no mangy wolf like you is going to stop me from going wherever I want."

The two growled at each other for a moment until Kagome reached the river's edge. She seemed to reach the sightlines of the man in the furs, and he turned from Inuyasha to face her.

"Ah, yes. The real reason I bothered to come all this way." He slid down the embankment to stand near her. "I followed a strong spiritual presence here, planning to defeat it before it could threaten my pack."

The wolf grasped her hand and gave her an appraising head to toe glance that had her blushing. "I didn't expect it to be coming from a woman so lovely."

Inuyasha brashly stepped between them, pushing Kagome behind him and out of the wolf's grasp. "Kagome isn't a threat to anyone."

"Kagome, you say?" The wolf man responded, trying to get another look at her but Inuyasha kept diverting her away. The wolf took a few deep sniffs. "I followed her aura but I didn't account for her scent. Inuyasha, where did a mutt like you find this woman? She smells so..."

Inuyasha delivered a solid punch to his jaw before he could elaborate further. He pushed Kagome further downstream, her skates sending her smoothly away from him and the impeding brawl.

"Shut the hell up, Kouga. If you got a problem with us being here, then you got a problem with me. Leave Kagome out of this." He sprung forward, claws extended towards the wolf.

The two fought with speed, though without the same intensity she had witnessed with Bernadette. There was a familiarity to it, as if they had tussled several times before.

Shippo scampered down the ice towards her and jumped up to be held in her arms. "Shippo, do you know this guy?" she asked.

Shippo joined her in watching the fight. "Oh yeah. Kouga is the leader of the wolf demon pack that often comes across our forest. Usually Inuyasha leaves them alone, unless they start to get to close to your village."

"What do you mean, our forest?" She asked.

"Demons can be very territorial, especially dog and wolf demons." Shippo explained from her arms. "The woods around your village belong to Inuyasha. Right now we are right on the edge of disputed territory between him and Kouga."

With hard kick to the gut, Inuyasha went skidding across the ice away from Kagome. Seeing the path was clear, Kouga stalked towards where Kagome stood clutching Shippo to her chest.

As the wolf demon advanced, Shippo growled at him. "You leave Kagome alone!" he yelled, shaking his tiny fist at the incoming wolf.

Kouga gripped him with one hand and tossed the fox demon over his shoulder.

Kagome skated backwards, trying to keep space between them but she was too slow compared to his speed. When he caught up to her, he gripped her arms and pulled her close against his chest. With his contact with her skin, Kagome felt her energy surge to life, burning through her veins beneath her skin.

Standing the two of them alone, Kouga stared at her with intensity. "Do you fear me, witch?"

"I am not a witch," she hissed at him, allowing the energy to suffuse her skin and surround her in a bright glow. She watched his eyes widen and, when he moved to release her, she gripped his arms harshly, "but I think it is you who fears me!" She poured her energy in to her hands, watching his face turn to surprise and then pain as she burned him.

Kouga pushed her away forcefully, and the momentum carried her down the ice. He looked down at his arms, which emanated a small amount of smoke from his burns. He seemed to be considering his wounds, then looked back up at her. "Kagome! You truly are as powerful as you are beautiful."

He started walking towards her again, "Hell, with you at my side, we could do anything! Join me and together we will reclaim all the forest that is rightfully the wolf clan's!"

She felt a tug at her waist as Inuyasha appeared at her side and gripped her close against him. "Keh." He scoffed, turning his face away from the approaching wolf. "As if she would go with a disgusting wolf like you."

"You think she would rather stay with a pathetic half-breed?" Kouga sneered. Quicker than she could see, the wolf demon gripped her hand and ripped her away from Inuyasha. "The witch is probably just waiting to kill you. Why else would anyone waste their time around a such a loser?"

The wolf drew in a deep breath from her hair."You clearly haven't claimed her, even if your stink is all over her." He turned to smirk at Inuyasha. "I'll even do her a favour and kill you today. Once I claim her, then we can have your land and mine."

"Keep your fucking hands off Kagome!" Inuyasha growled, lunging towards them with claws drawn. With his left arm Inuyasha pushed Kagome away from the attack, the ice leaving her haphazardly skidding backwards.

The two fought with increasing intensity. Blood stained the pristine ice as claws clashed. Before the fight had seemed like a routine boundary skirmish. Now, it looked like both sides were looking for blood.

She looked away from the fight for a moment to try to locate Shippo on the river's edge. She pushed off on her skates to skate towards him when an arm clamped around her waist, lifting her off her feet so her entire weight was crushed back against Inuyasha's side.

"Kagome is MINE." He hissed in a gravelly voice, the growl rumbling through Kagome where she was held against him. She stared down at the crumpled and unmoving Kouga, who was currently splayed on the ice. Kagome looked up at Inuyasha and watched in surprise as purple stripes began appearing on his cheeks. She felt little pricks at her waist from his elongating claws.

Without further word Inuyasha braced himself against the ice before springing in to the air. Shippo appeared and grabbed hold of his other shoulder as he took off in a mad sprint through the woods towards the cottage.

Once through the door, Inuyasha slammed it shut behind him. Shippo hopped free to hide in the rafters while Kagome was still held tight to Inuyasha's side.

She looked up and started with surprise at the changes to his face. His eyes had become red with green pupils, and purple streaks marked his face. His fangs had elongated and he was growling indecipherable nonsense.

"Be careful, Kagome!" Shippo warned from the safety of his perch. "Inuyasha has become a full demon. His actions can be unpredictable and deadly."

"Full demon?" She said, watching his internal struggle.

The demon turned her in his arms and crushed his face into the turn of her neck. "Kagome," grumbled out of his throat.

She reached up to grip on to the back of his shirt. "I'm here, Inuyasha."

He snuffled in her neck for a moment before drawing his nose along the column of her throat up to her chin. Kagome felt goosebumps bloom on her shoulders as he rested his chin against her. "Mine." He growled with a puff of air into her ear. He gripped her by her upper arms tightly and pulled her back to look her in the eye. Kagome felt the heat of his energy burning against her own, but instead of fearing the intensity, she embraced it. Her energy was like water, trying to absorb the chaotic fire that currently engulfed Inuyasha's soul.

His green irises bore in to her, looking down in to the core of her being. Seeming satisfied with what they saw, the demon used her arms to drag her against him. One hand gently cradled the side of her face as their gazes remained locked. Slowly, his face began descending towards hers. Kagome stared at his lips with wide eyes as they became closer and closer.

"Kagome..." he whispered, his eyes clearing to change back to their golden hue.

They started at each other, only a hair's breadth apart, before Inuyasha roughly pushed her away.

Giving her one last look, Inuyasha threw open the door to the cottage and leapt out in to the night. Kagome watched him from the threshold until his shadow could no longer be seen in the light of the moon.


	20. Chapter 20

Kagome sighed listlessly in the bathtub, sinking down until she was covered up to her nose. Since the day of the encounter with Kouga, Inuyasha had been avoiding being in the cottage when Kagome was home. Though he still came in to eat and to sleep at night, besides that the half-demon was always gone, out hunting or whatever he chose to do during the day. While Inuyasha being gone so much meant she had much more free time to bathe, it also left her feeling surprisingly lonely. She hadn't realised how much she depended on the quiet company of the taciturn Inuyasha until he wasn't around anymore.

Cleaning up the tub after her bath, Kagome knew the opportunity had presented itself to talk to Inuyasha when he appeared in the doorway after his transformation. It was the night of the new moon and Inuyasha was human.

They stared at each other across the small distance of the cottage. "I...just came to get my sword and then I will be gone for the night." Inuyasha affirmed, walking in to the cottage.

When he moved to pass her, Kagome gripped his arm. "You will do no such thing." She said with authority. "It is dangerous out there for you tonight. You should stay here."

"I ain't staying here." He stated, the silent 'with you' not spoken but already heard between them.

"If...if I am such an imposition to you, I can leave." Kagome said quietly, averting her gaze from his so he wouldn't know how much the idea hurt her. All she could see in her mind was images of the gaping wound in his abdomen from the last new moon. She wasn't sure her heart could take it if it happened again. She knelt down to retrieve her bow and arrows from beneath the bed.

He knelt beside her and stayed her hands. "Don't be stupid." He huffed. He gave her a considering look before releasing her hands. "Fine, I'll stay here. But don't expect to be chummy."

She looked at him for a moment before snapping back. "Fine. I have work to do anyways."

Standing, Kagome busied herself with whatever chore she could think of. While she was tidying the kitchen, she felt Inuyasha's gaze on her face. Her cheeks burned with the attention, but she refused to make the situation more awkward by engaging him.

The tension in the little cottage could have been cut with a knife. It was a relief to both when Shippo came bounding through the door, chattering on about what he had been up to that day.

Congenial conversation carried them through most of the evening until the little fox's eyes began to droop. When he retreated to the rafters for the evening, the tension between the other two housemates returned.

Kagome took a heartening sip of her tea before broaching the matter at hand. She peaked up between her eyelashes at Inuyasha as she confessed "I don't know what I did to upset you, but I am sorry."

Inuyasha tensed. "Sorry?" he repeated, looking at her with furrowed brows.

"We...don't spend time together. Like we used to." Her lips quirked up to a small smile. "I miss it."

"Kagome..." he trailed off, looking at her with intense eyes over the distance of the kitchen table.

She reached across the table to slide both her hands in to his much larger grip. "I don't understand what has driven you away, but I am here if you need me to listen."

He gave her a thoughtful look as his hand seem to tighten on hers almost reflexively. "You mean, you're not afraid?"

"Afraid?" She looked confused, thinking back to what had been frightening about the incident. "You mean afraid of Kouga?"

"No, you idiot." He admonished, gripping her hands tighter so she was pulled towards him. "Afraid of me!"

"Why would I be afraid of you?" She said plainly. "Sure, you looked different and acted different, but you were still Inuyasha. I'm not afraid of you when you look like this, and I'm certainly not afraid of you when you look like that."

He seemed stunned for a moment before answering with a sneer. "Well you should be afraid. I have very little control over my demon form."

"It didn't do anything to hurt me," she reminded him. "I think you are underestimating yourself."

"Well I think you are putting too much faith in me." He snapped back. "I have killed in that form, Kagome. Killed for less rage than I felt the moment when I thought that Kouga would take..." His jaw closed audibly as he swallowed the rest of that thought.

She patted his hand, trying to provide comfort for pain that she did not fully understand."We're a team, Inuyasha. A family." She told him seriously, persevering through the surprised look he gave her. "And we need to work together. "

"So...you're not afraid?" He reiterated, looking desperate.

"No, but I am annoyed that you keep asking me." She said with a little scowl.

He matched her scowl back. "Well, then you're an idiot."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure."

The fell in to a comfortable silence, both watching the hearth fire crackle and warm the small cottage. Neither withdrew their hands from where they rested together on the table.

When Kagome released a jaw cracking yawn, she knew it was time to turn in. "I had better head off to bed." She admitted.

"Hm, sure." He responded sleepily, his eyes half lidded as well.

She looked at the bed, then looked back at the human Inuyasha. "You look exhausted." She told him honestly. "Why don't you take the bed? I'll stay up and keep watch, just in case."

"I'm fine." He growled as best as he could with his human voice. "You take the bed."

Thinking back to the last New Moon, Kagome considered the size of the mattress. "We could...share?" she offered tentatively.

He stared at her. "Share?"

"You know, the bed." She babbled nervously. "Since it is the new moon and that is when you used to use it. It is pretty big for just one person."

He continued to stare at her. He cast a glance up to the rafters where Shippo was sleeping soundly before looking back at her with serious eyes.

"Okay." He answered, his voice so quiet Kagome wasn't sure she had heard it.

She smiled encouragingly at him. "Alright then. Let me just get changed."

He quickly turned his back to face her as she rummaged around in the trunk at the foot of the bed. Producing her sleeping shirt she quickly changed before diving under the covers to keep warm as a winter chill froze the night.

Hearing the rustle of the covers, Inuyasha turned around to face the bed with a hesitant look on his face. She opened the covers invitingly. "Well, aren't you coming?"

He slowly began unbuttoning his plaid shirt before folding it to rest atop the cedar chest at the bottom of the bed. He pulled off his socks to leave him only clad in breeches before he slid beneath the covers, laying on the edge to leave as much space between them as possible.

Kagome modestly rolled to face away from him. She could feel the heat from his back as he moved to do the same. "See, is that so bad?" She asked, trying to hold the quiver from her voice at the unexpected depth of feeling she experienced from laying beside him. Though they had shared the bed when he was sick, she had not been aware of just how much warmth he emanated that night. Even in his human form, the heat was almost roasting when added to warmth of the fire.

"N..No." He stumbled. Rolling over, she could see the tension in his shoulders in an outline from the fire.

Smiling, she pushed herself up to lean over his upper shoulder and look down on him. He met her gaze with surprise. "Hey." She said. "It's just me. "

Slowly a smile inched across his face. "Kagome." He breathed, staring for an extra moment before rolling his eyes. "Now get off me, woman, and get some sleep. Try not to hog the bed like last time."

With a little laugh Kagome resumed her position on the other side of the bed facing away from him. "Good night, Inuyasha." She whispered with a smile.

"Night, Kagome." He answered just before she closed her eyes and fell asleep.


	21. Chapter 21

Kagome hummed happily to herself as she sliced the dried venison into pieces small enough for stew. The rhythmic and familiar work allowed her mind to wander to more enjoyable thoughts. They strayed the same place they always seemed to these days: Inuyasha. She felt her cheeks heat slightly as she considered the handsome half demon.

When she awoke the night after the new moon, she had been alone in the bed with Inuyasha having departed much earlier. She would admit to being slightly disappointed, but also relieved to not have any awkward encounters that morning. Indeed, since that day Inuyasha had been quite a bit warmer towards her. Well, civil anyways, which was quite a bit of progress for the half-demon.

Inuyasha was out hunting for the day and had taken Shippo with him, leaving Kagome to herself to tend to her chores. There wasn't much to do, so she was leisured as she prepared lunch, hoping the cooking smell would reach them and let them know to return.

Looking up out the small window in the kitchen, Kagome smiled happily when she saw a male form in the distance approaching the small cottage. The smile quickly became a frown as she assessed the movement of the shadowed shape. It was clearly an awkward, plodding gait similar to her own through the deep show. Nothing like the graceful movements of her demons.

Kagome dried her hands on her apron and focused her attention on the approaching man. There were few who bothered to venture in to the woods this time of year and none with such purposeful intent towards the cottage. Who could it be? Were they friend or foe?

As they neared, they became more recognizable. There was no mistaking the familiar visage of the Revered Miroku, though it was twisted in determination as he continued his trek.

Kagome watched in shock as he stopped just at the edge of where she knew the barrier lie. He looked left and right, then looked straight ahead in to the illusion. He attempted to walk forwards but was hindered by the barrier. When he attempted a second time, he was knocked backwards off his feet.

Before Kagome could think of the wisdom of such a thing, she was already out the door of the cottage and caught herself on the steps. Should she reveal herself to the Reverend? What was he doing out here?

Wishing Inuyasha was home at the moment, Kagome hesitantly approached the edge of the illusion. She peered through at the Reverend's slightly blurred face.

"No..." he whispered to himself. "No, I must get through."

He stood again and approached the barrier. He seemed to give it an appraising look, as if he could see it but was uncertain how to pass through it. It shocked him again and he landed even further away.

He laid in the snow for a moment. The silence was deafening as Kagome watched him lay there, still uncertain what to do. Miroku slowly pushed himself up to a sitting position. "Dammit." He muttered, "I have to find Kagome."

Kagome watched in shock as he fell in to a kneeling position before the barrier. He performed the sign of the cross before folding his hands in prayer and bowing his head. "Please..." she could hear him whisper. "Kagome is the only one who can save Sango. Please, I will give anything!"

"Sango?!" Kagome gasped, stepping forward through the barrier. "Something has happened to Sango?"

Miroku looked up, his face draining of colour as if he had seen a ghost. "Kagome...?" He asked, his expression incredulous. His mouth gaped open slightly as he stared at her.

Kagome seemed uncertain when faced with the intensity of his stare. "Hello, Reverend Miroku." She said shyly.

"Kagome, what has happened to you?" He asked, standing and approaching her. He gently took hold of a lock of her hair. "You were lovely before, but now you are...you are radiant."

Considering how long it had been since she had used a mirror, Kagome dismissed him and dislodged his hand with a wave of her hand. "Oh, Reverend. You were always too kind." She demurred, then her expression became anxious. "What were you saying about Sango?"

His previous vigour returned. "Kagome, I must ask for your help! It's Sango! She...she has...fallen ill."

Kagome frowned, thinking on the previously healthy state of her friend. "Sango? How could she be ill?"

The Reverend shook his head, his eyes cast to the side. "The villagers believe it is consumption, but I fear it may be something more. Something worse."

"Something worse?" Kagome parroted, feeling overwhelmed at the new information.

"I...fear she may have been cursed." Miroku whispered, as if merely saying the words aloud would make them true. "She became mysteriously ill after a strange woman passed through town. The woman asked only for you, and when she found out you were gone, she was outraged. The villagers thought perhaps she carried an illness, but I couldn't believe it, for why else would Sango be the only one to fall ill?"

"A woman?" Kagome's brow furrowed. She thought of her only acquaintance who would be unknown to the village. "Was her name Kaede?"

"No..." Miroku looked thoughtful for a second before he cleared his throat in annoyance. "It doesn't matter. What is important right now is a need you to come back to the village with me Kagome. I need you to cure Sango." He grabbed hold of her hands and dragged her towards him.

She looked away. "I don't know Reverend Miroku." While Kagome's heart was with Sango, her brain couldn't help reminding her how dangerous and foolish it would be to go back to the village where she could very well be killed.

"I wouldn't ask if I wasn't desperate." He admitted, his hold on her tightening. "I'll admit I'll bring you back by force if I have to..."

A hand appeared and clamped on to Miroku's shoulder. "What the hell is going on here?" Inuyasha growled as he tossed Miroku away from Kagome into the distant snow.

Seeing the threat removed, he turned his intense stare to Kagome. "What are you doing outside the barrier!" He yelled in her face. "Are you stupid?"

"It was the Reverend! He said Sango needed help!" She replied sharply.

"So, what?" Inuyasha responded harshly, "They should have thought about needing your help before they turned you away. The most important thing is for you to stay safe. Now get back inside the barrier."

"No!" She yelled back, her hands on her hips. "I am going to help Sango."

"Not a chance." Inuyasha clamped down on her wrist. He used her arm to drag her over his shoulder, allowing no argument. "C'mon, we're going home."

"Unhand her, you unholy beast!" Miroku demanded, standing directly in Inuyasha's path. He threatened Inuyasha with a polished staff, challenging him to try to move past.

"Keh, stupid human. Back for more?" Inuyasha taunted. He raised a hand prepared to backhand the Reverend away when Kagome called from his back for him to stop.

"Stop, please Inuyasha." She said breathlessly, the air forced from her lungs by his shoulder digging beneath her rib cage. "They helped protect me once too, you know?"

He paused, seeming to consider this fact. With a heavy sigh he set her back down, allowing her to turn to speak with the monk but not to leave his embrace. They were both met with a shocked expression from the Reverend.

"What is it?" Kagome queried, looking back to Inuyasha before looking back to Miroku.

"Kagome...there aren't even words." Miroku said breathlessly. "Who is this? What is this?"

"Oh. My apologies! Where are my manners?" Kagome tittered nervously, "Ah, Reverend Miroku, this is Inuyasha. Inuyasha, this is the Reverend Miroku."

Her introduction was met with stony silence on the sides of both men.

"Well..." Kagome interjected into the silence. "You did seem to be in a hurry, Reverend. Should we be getting to Sango?"

That seemed to shake him from his reverie. "Yes!" His face brightened immensely. "Oh Kagome, you are truly benevolent to come to Sango's aid. I cannot thank you enough."

"Who said we were going?" Inuyasha interrupted.

"But, Inuyasha..." Kagome wheedled.

"She's dying." Miroku said quietly, but it was more effective than a shout. "Sango is dying. Kagome, I need you. Please, Inuyasha."

Carefully, Miroku knelt in the snow before them. "I will give you anything. Please, Kagome is the only one who can save her."

Kagome looked over to Inuyasha's extremely uncomfortable face. "Alright, alright." He relented. "Just get up already. You look even stupider down there, if that was possible."

Inuyasha turned to Kagome. "If we're going back there, you are not to go off alone, do you understand me?"

Kagome opened her mouth to refute, then thought better of it and just nodded. Seeming satisfied with her answer, Inuyasha turned to Miroku. "We'll go to your godforsaken village at nightfall. Have your woman brought to Kagome's house and we will meet you there."

Miroku nodded seriously. "Sango is already living in the hospice, as there was fear she had consumption." He turned to Kagome. "Do you need anything else?"

"Reverend Miroku..." Kagome bit her lip in anxiety, "I don't know anything about breaking curses. I can't guarantee I'll be able to save her."

He met her gaze evenly. "I know you'll be able to do it, Kagome."

Without further word, he walked off in to the woods back to the village. Kagome and Inuyasha watched him go before the retreated through the barrier.

Once back inside, Inuyasha rounded on her again. "Don't do something like that again!"

"I couldn't leave him out there like that! He was suffering!" She retorted.

"There were no guarantees that was even really your friend! Christ, Kagome!" Inuyasha snarled at her. "Don't you get it! There are creatures out there that want you. They want your power, and they will do whatever it takes to get it!"

"This whole thing with your friend could very well be a trap." He told her harshly. "From the villagers, or who knows! The only reason I knew to come back was I felt the flare of your aura when he grabbed you. I know for a fact that other demons felt it too. So much power will make them hungry for you."

"You...came back for me?" She asked shyly. "You were...worried?"

"Dammit, woman." He snarled, pulling her against his chest. Her arms wound around his waist as he clamped around her shoulders. His breath tickled in her ear as he whispered harshly, "don't...don't do that again."

They stood silently in each other's embrace for a moment before they slowly untangled. Kagome gave him a gentle smile. "The trip to the village will be fine. After all, you'll be there."

He looked at her earnest gaze for a moment before quickly looking away with a slight pink to his nose. "Keh."

Leaving her to walk over to the kitchen, he used his claws to pick up a small morsel of the venison she had been preparing. "So what is supposedly going on with your friend?" he asked, tossing the meat in his mouth.

Kagome seated herself on the edge of the bed, her expression thoughtful. "A woman had come through town asking about me. Apparently after her departure, Sango has fallen ill."

"Hmpff. Sounds like a trap to me." Inuyasha murmured between bites.

"A trap?" Kagome said with a frown. "Why would they want to make a trap for me?"

Inuyasha looked out the window for a moment with a thoughtful look on his face. "There are still a few hours until dark." He said quietly, "if we hurry, there is still time to get more information. The old hag Kaede usually knows when things aren't right."

In a blur of movement, Inuyasha gripped her and tossed her on his back. They sprung out the door and up in to the trees, headed towards the Fort. Kagome took the opportunity to tighten her hold around Inuyasha's neck and bury her face in his shoulder. Though she knew what she was doing was right, it did not make her less afraid of the return to her village. Their hatred had hurt her deeply and left scars on her heart. Though her happiness in the cottage had done much to heal the damage, she feared returning.

The prospect of facing her family again after so long an absence was also a joy as well as a source of anxiety. Would they hate her for staying away? Would they have forgotten her?

They landed silently at the edge of the woods, Inuyasha pausing to allow Kagome to slide down in case they were seen by any curious eyes. Kagome glanced at Inuyasha's exposed ears for a moment before withdrawing her handkerchief from her dress and using it to tie over his ears. He looked at her curiously for a moment before relenting and allowing the fabric to be tied.

Together they snuck in to the back door of Kaede's shop. Fortunately, just as they entered the back door the old woman was locking the front. When she turned to address them, she did not appear surprised.

"I thought I would be seeing you some time soon." She told them in her gravelly voice, not bothering with greetings. "There have been rumours of a strange sickness and I wondered when it would reach your village."

"What have you heard, old woman?" Inuyasha asked impatiently, "C'mon, we haven't got all day."

"Inuyasha!" Kagome hissed at him. She turned to Kaede. "I do apologize for him. Please, Kaede, we haven't much time. My dear friend Sango has fallen ill with this mysterious illness and her...well...her friend has asked us to come to see her."

"I see." Kaede said thoughtfully, easing herself down in to an old wooden chair. She sighed. "It is worse than I thought. If she knew to target your friend, she is more aware of details about you than I had realised."

"What do you mean she!" Inuyasha shouted. "Is there someone after Kagome?"

"As you and I both know, Inuyasha," Kaede said quietly, "there are many demons after Kagome's power. There are also humans who would seek it. You may have heard of the Witch Tsubaki?"

"That bitch after eternal youth?" He snarled. "Yeah, I've heard of her. Last I heard she was wandering the tundra, prolonging her life with glacier water."

"Well word of Kagome's strength has reached even her." Kaede said solemnly. "The rumor is that she believes she can achieve eternal youth by...well..."

"By what?" Inuyasha asked harshly, looking a ashen, as if he already knows the answer.

"If she were to consume Kagome's flesh, she would have what she desires." Kaede answered quietly.

Kagome stared at her in shock. "Consume...my flesh?" she turned wide, confused eyes towards Inuyasha.

"Dammit." He cursed, moving closer to her. He drew her close to his side. "There is no way in hell we are going anywhere near that village."

"I fear if you don't go, her friend most certainly will perish." Kaede warned. "Tsubaki's curses are most horrible. They drain their victim's energy and allow her complete control over their bodies."

"I have to go, Inuyasha." Kagome told him quietly. "I could never live with myself if Sango died when I could have saved her."

He stared at her and she met his gaze with unwavering certainty. She watched his brows furrow in a dark frown but he remained silent.

Taking his silence as agreement, Kaede took one of Kagome's hands. "Be careful, Kagome. Tsubaki is powerful and cunning. Believe in yourself and you will succeed."

"Thank you, Kaede." She smiled softly.

"I believe the sun has already set." Kaede said, walking behind her counter and rummaging around for a moment. She produced a small handful of arrows. "I noticed you are running low, Kagome. Please take these. I wish you both good luck."

Kagome gratefully accepted the small supply of arrows and dumped them in her quiver. With a nervous nod to Kaede, she stepped through the rear door out in to the dark of night. A full moon provided a small amount of light as she waited past the threshold for Inuyasha. He exited the shop soon after her, a faint blush on the bridge of his nose from whatever Kaede had said to him as he left.

"Are you sure about this?" He asked her, looking down at her with a serious expression on his face.

"I have to do this." She replied with a nod of certainty. "Though I am afraid."

"I...will protect you with my life." He told her seriously.

She blushed and smiled at him warmly. "Inuyasha..." she said breathlessly.

Without further discussion, he knelt and turned his back to her. She hopped back on to his back and tucked her face against him, fortifying herself for the difficulty to come.


	22. Chapter 22

They landed on the forest edge at the back of her home. She looked at the building where she had grown up and felt a strange detachment from it, as if it was no longer somewhere she recognized. All of the village she could see seemed foreign and detached from what she remembered.

A thick fog curled around them the village, shrouding it in a silvery veil. Inuyasha sniffed carefully, his ears twitching on the top of his head. For her part, Kagome could not see any danger, but she knew well to trust Inuyasha's senses.

He turned to her, his golden eyes luminous even in the dark of night. "Might as well get this over with." He grumbled, putting a hand at the small of her back and leading her towards the house.

Stepping through the back door, Kagome was met with a sight she had not quite prepared for. "Mama..." she breathed, seeing her beautiful mother standing there in her familiar clothes and apron, a gentle smile on her face.

"Oh, Kagome!" She exclaimed, dropping the basin of water she had been carrying to gather her daughter close. "How I have missed you!"

The two embraced for a moment before slowly letting go. Once they were apart, Kagome's mother looked over her shoulder, seeming to notice Inuyasha for the first time. "And who is this?" She asked kindly.

"Mama, this is Inuyasha. Inuyasha, this is my mother." She gestured between them in introduction.

"Hey..." he greeted with a short wave, looking distinctly uncomfortable.

"Hello, Inuyasha." She greeted warmly. "Welcome to our home. I must thank you for looking after Kagome for all this time. I hope she hasn't been a bother."

Interrupting Kagome's exclamation of protest, Inuyasha replied lazily, "You have no idea how much trouble she's caused."

Kagome frowned at him for a moment as it drew her mind back to the matter at hand. "Mama, how is Sango?"

When she saw her mother's facial expression tighten, Kagome knew the news would be grave. "She...is not doing well Kagome. Nothing seems to be making her improve. It is as if she is just slowly, fading away."

"Her father and Kohaku have not left her bedside. The only time they leave to eat or sleep is when the Reverend is with her." Kagome's mother continued. "I fear for all their health as well if she were to succumb to this mysterious illness."

"Has, the Reverend Miroku spoken to you?" Kagome asked gently.

"About his suspicions that there may be a curse involved?" Kagome's mother queried. When Kagome nodded her head in reply, her mother admitted. "He did say that was a possibility. The thought of curses is so far outside my knowledge, I wouldn't even know where to start. He...told me he was going to go looking for you. He said he may know where to find you..."

With that her mother drew her back in for a hug. "I was so glad to hear you were safe."

"Yes, I was."Kagome assured her. "Inuyasha is looking after me."

"I'm sure he is." Her mother murmured in to her hair.

"Mrs Higurashi?" A young male voice came from the door to the sick room. "Is everything okay? We heard voices?"

Kagome turned to be greeted by the sight of Kohaku, his father coming up behind him. "Kagome?" Sango's father said in shock. "Good Lord! You have returned?"

"I'm here to see Sango." Kagome replied quietly. "I heard she is quite ill."

"Kagome, you have to save her!" Kohaku latched on to her arm. His eyes were desperate. "Please! I am the reason she is sick! A strange woman came around asking questions about you. I told her to talk to Sango, because she knew you the best. The next thing we knew the woman was gone and Sango...Sango wouldn't wake."

"Then it is I who is to blame for Sango's illness." Kagome gently removed him from her arm and redirected him towards her mother who gathered the boy in to her arms.

"You're all stupid." Inuyasha interrupted, causing all eyes to turn his way. "It's this Tsubaki bitch who is responsible for Sango's illness. No one else."

"And just who are you?" asked Sango's father. Hearing the paternal note to his tone, Kagome wanted to derail this conversation quickly before anyone started talking about anyone's intentions towards anyone.

"Where is Sango?" She interrupted, stepping between Sango's father and Inuyasha.

He gave her a thoughtful look before letting the matter drop. "She's right through here."

Kagome entered the dimly lit sick room. She was relieved to see most of the beds remained empty, although a few were occupied with coughing invalids. Sango lay in the back corner, a candle nearly burned down to the wick on the table beside her. Quietly, Kagome knelt at her side and looked at her friend's face. She was an unnatural shade of pale and she was much too thin considering her previously healthy state. Kagome gripped her frail hands and pushed her hair back from her face. How could a curse have done this?

At the touch of her hand, Sango started to sit up from her bed.

"Sango?" Kagome said quietly while her father and brother gasped.

Sango turned towards her, but when she opened her eyes they were blank. They started back at Kagome without seeing for a moment. "Sango?" She tried again to rouse her friend. "It is Kagome. Come back to us."

Sango's blank stare continued for a moment before she reached up and used the back of her hand to deliver a blow to Kagome's face that sent her sprawling on the floor.

Inuyasha sprung in to action, grabbing hold of Sango as she stood from her sick bed to advance towards where Kagome lay clutching her injured cheek.

"Sango?" She asked, not understanding for a moment how her friend could hit her.

"It must be Tsubaki's curse." Inuyasha said, trying to dodge all the blows Sango was aiming at him, trying to get free. She delivered a harsh blow to his ribs that had him swearing but he refused to relinquish his hold on her.

Sango turned towards Inuyasha, her blank eyes fixating on him. "Is that, Inuyasha?" Her lip curled up in an uncharacteristic sneer. "You bastard. I should have know you would be sniffing around. Do yourself a favour and abandon the girl to her fate."

"Stay away from Kagome!" He swore at Sango's form, getting a hold of her other arm in his tight grip.

"Now this opponent is not really putting up enough of a fight for you, is she?" A mocking female voice unlike Sango's came from her mouth. "Perhaps I should give you more of a challenge?"

There was silence for a moment as Sango fainted in Inuyasha's arms. Seeing she was no longer a threat, Inuyasha eased her back in to her bed and allowed Sango's family to tend to her as he moved to where Kagome remained sprawled on the floor.

The floor of the house started shaking. Inuyasha scooped Kagome up to stand beside him, keeping her steady as the house heaved around them. The back wall of the house was torn away by giant claws to reveal a huge silver beast. It's huge fangs had an ominous glimmer in the full moon as it snarled at them.

Atop the beast rode a beautiful woman in a long black dress, her silver hair falling smoothly down her back and framing her face. Ruining her otherwise beautiful visage was the horrible sneer on her face.

"Once I destroy you Inuyasha, then Kagome will be all mine." She focused her gaze from the half-demon to the young woman in his arms. She licked her ruby lips. "I don't relish the thought of having to consume you, but it is the price I must pay for eternal beauty."

"I wouldn't waste your time. You'll always be an ugly hag to me." Inuyasha snarled, setting Kagome behind him. "Now shut up and fight me."

He leapt at her where she stood on the beast's shoulder. The giant silver wolf used it's jaw to bat him away. Tsubaki floated off the wolf's shoulder to stand further in to the fog, slowly being engulfed by its darkness until she was no longer visible.

"Kagome!" shouted the Reverend Miroku, who appeared at her side while she was distracted by the battle. "I heard the disturbance and came right away."

"You were right about the curse, Reverend Miroku." She told him quickly, "There is a witch Tsubaki who cursed Sango."

"Why would she curse Sango?" He asked her, watching the dizzying fight as the beast struck Inuyasha away after he landed a blow on its giant flank.

"It was a trap to get me here." Kagome admitted quietly.

"A trap for you." The Reverend turned towards her with surprise. "Then what are you doing down here alone? Where is the witch?"

A blow was delivered to Miroku from behind that sent him staggering. Turning, it was Sango standing there with blank eyes holding the stool she had struck him with from behind. She lunged at him again and he was able to dodge without delivering a blow to her.

"Sango!" He called to her, rolling away from her as she advanced towards him. "You need to come back to me."

Her blank gaze remained and they continued to fight, moving further and further towards the forest and out in to the fog.

Kagome stood beside Sango's father, hands clutched to her chest as she watched Inuyasha fight. She sought for Tsubaki with her senses but the woman betrayed no trace of her location. She turned in surprise when she heard Sango's father and brother suddenly collapse to the ground.

"Poor Kagome." She heard the woman's voice taunt in her ear as she was pulled in to her arms. Kagome felt her throat tighten when a sharp dagger press against her skin, drawing a trickle of blood. "Have you been left all alone? Now I have you."

"No! Kagome!" She heard Inuyasha shout in the distance but he seemed so very far away and the dagger was so very close to her throat. Kagome started to struggle against Tsubaki's inhumanly strong hold.

"Don't fight me." She purred in Kagome's ear. "If you stay still like a good girl, I will make your death quick and painless."

The night became less dark as a new glow became visible and Kagome was not startled to realise it was coming from her. Feeling her energy come to life, Kagome let it fill her and burn along the edges of her skin, bathing her in a ferocious pink flame.

"What...what is this?" Tsubaki exclaimed, releasing her for fear of getting burned.

Kagome pulled an arrow from her quiver and aimed it at the witch. "How dare you use my friends to get to me?" Kagome scowled at her. "Release Sango from her curse and I will let you live."

Tsubaki's red lips pulled up in a sneer. "It is too late for her anyways. Her body is too drained and even if the curse is lifted, she will still die."

"You're lying!" Kagome screamed, letting her arrow fly towards the witch. Tsubaki's eyes widened in surprise and she was not quite quick enough to dodge the arrow, the shaft embedding itself in her arm.

"You bitch!" Tsubaki screamed. "Your friends will pay for that!" With that she raised her good arm and instead of one beast for Inuyasha to fight, there were suddenly 2 silver demons , that pounced on him simultaneously.

Kagome watch in horror as Sango's father and brother's eyes also became blank and they started advancing towards her. She hadn't realised that much of the town had gathered around her home to watch the fight, and they too became possessed by Tsubaki's curse.

It was her worst nightmare come to life, her whole town descending down upon her with only the intent to kill. She knew it was from Tsubaki's curse, but it was too close to all the horrible dreams she had been having, and for a horrible moment, she felt that she did deserve to die.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha called to her as he abandoned his fight to scoop her up and hop away. He cradled her in his arms while snarling at all their opponents. The two silver wolves snarled back at them, the townspeople crowding between their legs, forming a foreboding wall of death that stood between them and Tsubaki.

"There's too many to fight." She heard Inuyasha murmuring above her. "Dammit, how are we going to kill this witch?"

The Reverend Miroku appeared at their side, carrying an unconscious Sango. He set her down quietly on the grass before coming to stand with them. "It seems to me the only way to win is to focus on Tsubaki."

"You think I don't know that?" Inuyasha snarled. "How are we supposed to get past all them?"

"If only there was some way to hide Kagome, so she could sneak up on Tsubaki." Miroku said thoughtfully as the trio backed away from the advancing crowd.

"That's where I come in!" Said a childish voice from Kagome's shoulder.

"Shippo!" She exclaimed, gathering him in to her arms. "Where did you come from?"

"I knew you guys were hopeless without me! This is why you shouldn't have left me at home!" He said proudly. Then he caught a look at the silver wolf demons and let you a little scream of fright before burrowing into Kagome's arms.

"Alright, Shippo, you make a barrier to hide Kagome long enough for her to find Tsubaki. Miroku, you take the villagers. Leave the wolves to me." Inuyasha instructed, pausing to snap the knuckles of his hands before leaping in to battle.

"This way Kagome! I saw the witch over here!" Shippo chattered happily as they skirted around the edge of the battle. Through the fog, Kagome could just barely make out the shape of Tsubaki watching the fight, an evil smile on her lips.

They had just about reached Tsubaki when there was a cry of pain. Kagome watched in horror as the silver wolf closed its massive jaws on Inuyasha's arm, crushing it between his teeth. The wolf flipped Inuyasha's body up in the air and then opened its massive maw to swallow him whole. Before it could even finish the motion, it disappeared in an explosion of pink light from Kagome's arrow. Its brother fell quickly after.

Before Kagome could feel relief and check if Inuyasha had lived, Tsubaki was upon her. "Foolish girl!" She said, slapping Kagome's face. "You have surely sacrificed yourself to save that pathetic half-demon. Your arrow gave away your position. Do you love him that much? To die for him?"

The dagger reappeared in her hands. "It is a shame he will probably die from his wounds. And all without knowing how much you loved..."

Her sentence was cut off by a pained gurgle as a clawed hand appeared through her chest. "You were saying?" Inuyasha snarled, pulling his hand back. Shippo hopped up his shoulder as he used his good arm to pull Kagome out from underneath the witch.

"But...how..." Tsubaki looked at her wound. "How was I defeated by this wretch and her half demon?" Her body slowly aged back to its natural state before turning in to ashes and disintegrating in to the wind.

As soon as the threat had passed, Inuyasha collapsed down to his knees clutching his injured arm. Kagome went to his side and started to tend to his wound. All around them, the fog began clearing and the sunrise was beginning.

The Reverend Miroku soon came over to them, cradling Sango in his arms.

"How is she?" Kagome asked quietly.

"I fear...that witch was right." Miroku said quietly, holding her closely. "I can feel her life continuing to slip away."

Kagome frowned. "No way I'm going to allow that to happen. Set her down Reverend Miroku."

"Kagome, there's nothing you can do." Miroku interrupted. "I would rather have these last few moments with her."

"Miroku, if she says she can heal her, you should let her try." Inuyasha interjected.

He looked between them for a moment before nodding and setting Sango down on the snow beside Kagome. Solemnly, Kagome brushed the hair back from her friend's face. She had no idea where to start healing a curse. But she trusted her instincts, so when her hands wanted to place themselves on her friends heart and head, she let them. Her energy flared to life, and in her mind she could see Sango wrapped up tightly by a fanged serpent that was slowly squeezing her. Sango was barely struggling in the strong hold but had clearly been fighting based on the gashes on the serpent's body.

Kagome focused her energy on the serpent. It writhed in agony as the pink energy burned its scaly hide, but it still would not release Sango. Kagome then heard Reverend Miroku's quiet voice calling to Sango, begging her to come back. She watched in surprise as Sango's eyes opened, a look of determination on her face. With her remaining strength, she used her arms to tear the snake from the inside. It burst into pieces around her before Sango fell in to a faint.

Kagome returned to her normal body feeling drained. She wilted to the grass, now exposed in the radius of snow she had melted with her powers. Laying beside Sango, she watched happily as her friend opened her eyes.

She felt herself being gathered up into strong arms. Blearily she looked up to see who was holding her, but knew there was only one person it could be. "Inuyasha..." she breathed out happily.

He stood carefully, adjusting his hold to keep her safely in his arms. She looked around as the sun rose behind her village. She looked at all the townspeople who were staring at her with incredulous looks on their faces. Her family home was destroyed beyond recognition. Miroku cradled Sango's head in his lap while he whispered incomprehensibly to her. Her father and brother soon joined the circle and they rejoiced together.

Kagome's mother and brother came to where Inuyasha stood and he carefully set her down beside him so she could say her goodbyes.

"It was so good to see you again, Mama." Kagome said, tears filling her eyes.

"I can't believe I missed most of your visit!" Souta whined. "You need to come back soon! And bring Inuyasha with you. He's the best!"

"Yes, Inuyasha." Kagome's mother advanced towards him, wrapping him in a loose hug. "Do visit some time and bring Kagome with you."

He cleared his throat in discomfort, patting her on the back twice while muttering "Uh, sure."

Shippo hopped on to Kagome's shoulder and the trio turned to the woods to start the trek back home.

"Wait! Kagome!" Sango's father called to her. The group paused and turned to face the speaker.

"How...how can I ever thank you for saving Sango? For saving all of us?" He bowed low to her.

"I'm afraid it was my fault she was hurt in the first place. There is no thanks needed." Kagome said softly, placing her hand beneath his chin to draw him back up to his full height.

Looking back over to where The Reverend cradled his daughter, Sango's father leaned towards her. "If I'm not mistaken, there will be a wedding coming soon. See if you can make it back. I know Sango will be upset to have missed you."

Kagome could already hear Inuyasha growling and decided not to push her luck. "We'll see." She said with a smile. "I'm just happy everyone is okay."

They bid their farewells before starting the quiet journey home.


	23. Chapter 23

It turned out to be easier than she thought to convince Inuyasha to bring her back to the village for the Reverend Miroku and Sango's wedding. She'd had to make some concessions, such as not attending the ceremony as there was no way Inuyasha was going in to a church, but she didn't mind if she could at least be at the reception.

They arrived after dark, once the party was already in full swing. It was being held back in the barn where The Reverend's welcoming ball had been held, those many months ago. Somehow it felt more like years. Kagome slipped her hand in to Inuyasha's as they snuck across the village, giving him a little squeeze. Her heart sang with happiness when he squeezed back.

If Inuyasha had heard what Tsubaki had said to her, he'd made no indication of knowing her feelings. Kagome herself could scarcely believe the witch could see so clearly what she herself had only come to understand. Kagome knew she was in love with Inuyasha. The question remained, did he feel the same?

Once they reached the light of the barn, Kagome tried to remain discrete, staying to the shadows to avoid a display. When she saw Souta lingering on the fringes, she assumed there had been some coordination about her arrival.

"Souta..." She whispered, beckoning him over. When he was close enough she folded him in to a big hug.

"Hey Kagome." He replied, his voice muffled in her shirt as he returned her hug.

"Hi Inuyasha!" Souta cheered once he was released, moving to greet his new hero. "How are you?" He chattered at an uncomfortable looking Inuyasha for a few minutes before Kagome reoriented him.

"Souta, were you waiting for us?" She asked quietly.

"Oh! Yeah!" He replied, "I am supposed to get Sango and the Reverend when you guys arrive. Stay here."

He quickly disappeared into the crowd, leaving the couple to stand together in the shadows. When a boisterous group exited the barn a bit too close to where they were hiding, Inuyasha quickly tucked Kagome close against his side and hid them against the wall. She looked up at him and blushed at his proximity. When he noticed her blushing, he also started to blush, but neither could look away.

"There you two are!" The Reverend called, interrupting the moment. They parted slowly, and Kagome would admit a bit regretfully, to greet her friends.

"Congratulations!" Kagome cheered, hugging them both together.

Sango looked beautiful in a newly sown pink wedding gown with lace adorning the collar and the embellishments. Her long hair was tied up in a complex knot that had Marie's handiwork written all over it. Her veil was pinned in place to keep it secure and it floated around her in the winter wind. Miroku looked dashing beside her in his suit. He kept an arm wrapped around his new bride at all times.

The two looked at each other with a gaze full of such love, Kagome felt her breath catch. In the dark they shared a quick kiss and Kagome clapped her hands together in delight.

"We didn't come all this way to watch you two make out." Inuyasha interrupted. "Give them the gift already so we can leave."

Kagome scowled at him before handing over a box she had wrapped in ribbon. Sango looked at the box in surprise. "You didn't have to give us anything. Your presence here is enough of a gift for me." Sango answered honestly. "When Miroku told me that you sacrificed your safety and almost your life for me...how could I ever repay you?"

"I know you would have done the same for me." Kagome replied, her hand on Sango's arm. "To see you happy and you two together...this is greater than anything I had dreamed." The two friends embraced, the box squished between them.

Sango curiously opened the box, smiling in delight at the gift inside. It was a pair of his and hers handkerchiefs, each embroidered with Mr or Mrs Hiroshi. "Thank you Kagome." Reverend Miroku said, using his wife's to dab one of her tears. "We will treasure them always."

Kagome heard the band start up to play and knew they had taken enough of the couple's time on this joyous occasion. "Get back to the party, you two!" She said cheerily. "Enjoy! Congratulations again!"

The couple opened their mouths to reply, but they were spotted by the crowd before they could respond. Thrown back in to the crush, Kagome and Inuyasha were left alone together in the dim light outside the barn.

"So, can we go home yet?" Inuyasha asked lazily, stretching behind himself to pop his joints.

"Maybe after this song?" Kagome asked him, turning her eyes up to him with hope. "It used to be one of my favorites and I would love to get to hear it."

Shrugging, Inuyasha leaned back up against the barn. Closing her eyes, Kagome let the music wash over her. It was a slow waltz, and she wasn't lying when she said it used to be her favorite. Though she would never tell Inuyasha, it was the song she had always dreamed to have as her first dance with her husband. Thinking about her life now, those dreams seemed very far away.

After the fight with Tsubaki, they had retreated to their cottage to regroup. It seemed that rumours of Kagome's powers had spread to the point where she was more feared than a target. Inuyasha claimed the number of demons in the forest had dwindled and life had settled to a more peaceful rhythm.

The decreasing number of demons also meant that Inuyasha had been around the cottage more often. He would occasionally even spend the whole day with her, helping her with her chores or playing out in the snow. Thinking about the happy memories made her heart swell with happiness.

"What are you thinking about?" Inuyasha interrupted her with his question. When she gave him an inquisitive look as if to ask why he was asking, he gestured to her. "You are glowing."

Looking down at her hands, Kagome did see the faint pink glow that surrounded her body. She could also feel Inuyasha's energy wrapped around her, holding her protectively even when he was standing so far away.

"You." She admitted, feeling brave. When he looked like he didn't understand, she repeated. "You asked what I was thinking about. I'm thinking about you."

He blinked at her in surprise, clearly not expecting this turn in the conversation. "Oh...oh really?"

Smiling warmly, Kagome advanced towards him. For a moment it looked as though he might back away in fear, but he held his ground. When she reached him she placed both her hands in his. In the shadows cast by the door of the barn, she could only barely make out his face.

"Inuyasha..." She trailed off, looking thoughtful. He gave her hands an encouraging squeeze, so she smiled and continued. "You make me so happy. I...never imagined my life could be this happy before I met you. Even though I still don't understand why all this is happening, I am thankful for it because it brought me to you."

"And I..." She took a step further towards him. "...I...I love you."

He looked stunned for a moment before he drew her in to a crushing embrace. "Kagome..." he whispered fiercely.

She smiled in to his embrace, not expecting him to reciprocate her feelings as easily as she could express them. She contented herself to enjoy his embrace, listening to the melody wash over her, thinking that life couldn't get much better than this.

"Kagome..." he said quietly, exhaling in to her hair. "I...My life before you...was...well ...you know not so good but you...you're just...aw shit."

"I'm what?" She teased, leaning back with a grin to lighten the mood.

The look on his face weighed her right back down to earth. Butterflies erupted in her stomach at the intensity of his gaze on her face. When she noticed his attention slip down to her lips, she wet them nervously, and that seemed to draw his attention more.

"You're my everything." He breathed, his hand coming up to cradle the side of her face. "I don't know what I did to get you, but you're mine now."

His face began to descend towards hers as her eyelids became heavy and then close of their own accord. Right before their lips met, he whispered "I am never, ever letting you go."

When his lips touched hers, Kagome felt like her heart was going to explode. Pure joy and love rushed hot through her veins, singing in her ears. As they continued to kiss, she felt as though she was floating on a cloud. When she felt Inuyasha have to tighten his grasp around her, she knew that she had actually been rising up above the ground, riding on the flood of her energy.

When they slowly parted, Kagome settled back down to earth. She shyly slid her hand in to his.

"Let's go home." She said with a smile.

Using her hand he swung her onto his back and took off in to the night.

Meanwhile, back in the barn, all the candles had blown out in the explosion of energy from Kagome and the newlywed couple stared at each other in the dark.

"What just happened?" Miroku asked his wife, using the hand he was holding to pull her closer.

Sango snuggled in to him and smiled when she replied. "Magic."


End file.
